Justice Yashwant Varma Quits On Day He Was To Begin His Defence Arguments

Allahabad High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma has resigned amid an inquiry into the recovery of a huge stash of cash from his home last year. To be specific, the development coincides with the day the judge was to begin his arguments to save himself against corruption allegations, sources said.

Varma sent his resignation to President yesterday, but did not mention any reason behind his decision.

An impeachment process was taken up by Parliament for his removal last July and a three-member panel was formed by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to probe the charges.

Varma had been given time from April 10 to April 14 to present his side, said sources, adding that the prosecution had completed its arguments before the inquiry committee in March.

Read: Judge In Cash Row Sends Resignation To President Amid Impeachment Process

As many as nine key witnesses were examined against Justice Varma, they said.

The panel probing Varma was reconstituted earlier this year and comprised Supreme Court Judge Justice Aravind Kumar, Bombay High Court Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar, and Karnataka High Court senior advocate BV Acharya.

A source in the Lok Sabha Secretariat said that his resignation meant that the impeachment process against him would now come to an end. Not just that; by resigning, he would remain entitled to pension and other benefits that a high court judge gets upon retirement, as per rules. He would have been ineligible for the benefits if he was impeached by the parliament.

Read: "With Deep Anguish": Full Text Of Justice Yashwant Varma's Resignation Letter

The judge had been under fire since a large amount of cash from Justice Varma's official residence in Lutyens Delhi on March 14, 2025. At that time, he was serving as a judge at the Delhi High Court. The cash was allegedly found in a storeroom near the servants' quarters. The judge had denied that he or his family members ever kept cash in the storeroom.

The Supreme Court had taken away judicial work from Justice Varma at the Delhi High Court. It had transferred him to his parent Allahabad High Court and asked its Chief Justice not to assign any judicial work to him.