Justice Yashwant Varma of the Allahabad High Court has resigned from his post, ending a tenure clouded by a year-long controversy involving the alleged discovery of significant cash at his residence and a looming parliamentary impeachment inquiry.
Justice Varma submitted his resignation to the President of India as he faced a high-stakes investigation under the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968. His departure follows a decisive legal setback at the Supreme Court, which recently cleared the way for a three-member parliamentary committee to proceed with an inquiry into his conduct.
The Fire and the Stacks of Cash
The controversy that ultimately led to Justice Varma’s exit began in March 2024. A fire broke out at his then-official residence in Delhi, necessitating an emergency response from the fire department and police.
During the firefighting operations, officials reportedly discovered large stacks of cash within the premises. According to reports, some of these stacks reached a height of 1.5 feet. The incident immediately caught the attention of the then Chief Justice, leading to Justice Varma’s transfer from the Delhi High Court to the Allahabad High Court while internal reviews commenced.
Defence and Challenges
Throughout the ordeal, Justice Varma has maintained a firm denial of any wrongdoing. He argued before a parliamentary panel that no cash was recovered from his residence and pointed to a failure in site security.
“Why should I be impeached if officials failed to secure the site?” Justice Varma reportedly told the panel. He emphasized that he was not present when the fire broke out and argued that responsibility for any alleged lapse lay with the authorities who had control of the site at the time.
The Legal Battle
The scrutiny intensified in August 2025 when Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla constituted a three-member committee to formally examine the allegations. The high-profile panel consists of:
- Justice Aravind Kumar (Supreme Court)
- Justice Maninder Mohan (Chief Justice of the Madras High Court)
- BV Acharya (Senior Advocate)
Justice Varma sought to block this probe by approaching the Supreme Court. He argued that since a motion for his removal had already been rejected by the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, the current panel was invalid. However, the Supreme Court dismissed his plea, allowing the investigation to continue.
A prior in-house enquiry conducted by the Supreme Court had already noted that Justice Varma and his family maintained exclusive control over the specific room where the cash was allegedly found, contradicting claims of third-party lapses.
With the parliamentary committee’s work ongoing and the potential for removal proceedings in Parliament, Justice Varma’s resignation effectively brings his judicial career to a premature close.
