Justice Yashwant Varma of the Allahabad High Court resigned on Wednesday, more than a year after firefighters discovered large amounts of unaccounted cash at his official residence in Delhi, one of the most damaging corruption scandals to hit India's judiciary in recent memory.
In his resignation letter dated April 9 and addressed to President Droupadi Murmu, Justice Varma stated, "While I do not propose to burden your august office with the reasons which have constrained me to submit this missive, it is with deep anguish that I hereby tender my resignation from the office of Judge of Hon'ble High Court of Judicature at Allahabad, with immediate effect,"
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Justice Varma did not mention any reason for this sudden decision in the resignation letter. He was due to retire only in 2031.
How It All Started
On the night of March 14, 2025, a fire broke out at Justice Varma's government bungalow at 30 Tughlak Crescent, New Delhi. Firefighters and police who arrived on the scene witnessed stacks of burnt and half-burnt Rs 500 notes on the floor of a stone room. At the time, Justice Varma and his wife were travelling in Madhya Pradesh. Only his daughter and elderly mother were at home. A video of cash burning in the fire soon went public.
What Followed
Following the incident, then Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna set up a three-member inquiry committee on March 22, 2025. As per reports, the panel interviewed 55 witnesses, examined CCTV footage, photos and videos, and visited the location. It submitted its report to CJI Khanna on May 4, 2025, finding the allegations credible. The CJI then asked Justice Varma to resign or face impeachment. Justice Varma, reportedly, refused.
He was transferred from the Delhi High Court back to the Allahabad High Court and stripped of judicial work.
In July 2025, over 100 members of the Lok Sabha signed a motion seeking Justice Varma's removal, and Speaker Om Birla constituted a separate three-member inquiry committee under the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968. Justice Varma then challenged both the in-house inquiry and the Lok Sabha Speaker's decision in court, and lost both times.
His Defence
Justice Varma consistently denied wrongdoing. He told the parliamentary committee that he was not in Delhi on the day of the fire, and that the room where the cash was found was an outhouse accessible to domestic staff, not part of the residence he and his family used. He called the episode a conspiracy to frame him.
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What Is Next
Upon his resignation, Justice Varma would be entitled for pension and other benefits that a high court judge gets after retirement. He would have been deprived of the benefits if he was removed by the Parliament. By resigning, Justice Varma avoids a formal parliamentary removal proceeding, a rare and humiliating process that requires a special majority vote in both Houses of Parliament.
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