New Delhi/Allahabad, April 10 Allahabad High Court Judge Yashwant Varma, who was facing impeachment proceedings due to allegations of corruption after large sums of burnt currency notes were found in his residence in Delhi last year, has resigned.
Officials said on Friday that the rare impeachment proceedings initiated by the Lok Sabha against Judge Varma have become "fruitless" following his immediate resignation. The judge submitted his resignation in a letter to President Droupadi Murmu on April 9.
To prevent his removal by Parliament, the judge had to resign, after withdrawing from the ongoing inquiry by a panel appointed by the Lok Sabha. Judge Varma was due to retire on January 5, 2031.
The alleged discovery of a large sum of cash occurred after a fire broke out at the residence of Judge Varma, then a judge of the Delhi High Court, at around 11:35 pm on Holi night, March 14, 2025, prompting firefighters to rush to the scene and extinguish the flames.
In his letter, Judge Varma, 57, said he was resigning with "deep regret" and that it was an honor to serve.
"Your Excellency, While I do not intend to burden your esteemed office with the reasons that have compelled me to submit this letter, I tender my resignation from the office of Judge of the Hon'ble High Court of Judicature at Allahabad, with immediate effect. It has been an honor to serve in this office," the letter stated.
The President of the Allahabad High Court Bar Association, Rakesh Pande, welcomed Judge Varma's resignation, which brought an abrupt end to the impeachment proceedings, but said he should have taken the step earlier to resolve a needless controversy.
"If Judge Yashwant Varma had resigned earlier, it would have been in the best interest of everyone. This only created unnecessary controversy and tarnished the image of everyone involved – the high court, the entire judiciary, and him," Pande told