Justice Yashwant Varma resigns amid impeachment process over cash pile-up at home

A resignation amid controversy raises fresh questions over accountability in the judiciary. What led to Justice Varma's exit, and what could follow next?

In Short

• Resignation submitted to the President during ongoing probe
• Fire incident in March last year led to alleged discovery of cash stacks
• Justice Varma denied claims, said he was not present during incident

Justice Yashwant Varma of the Allahabad High Court has resigned, nearly a year after a controversy over alleged unaccounted cash found at his official residence in Delhi triggered a political and legal storm.

His resignation has been sent to the President and comes as impeachment proceedings against him gathered pace, with over 140 Lok Sabha members backing a motion seeking his removal.

The controversy dates back to March last year, when a fire broke out at Justice Varma’s official residence in Delhi. During firefighting operations, stacks of cash, some reportedly over 1.5 feet high, were said to have been found at the site.

Following the incident and the public outcry, the then Chief Justice of India, Sanjiv Khanna, ordered an in-house inquiry and transferred Justice Varma from the Delhi High Court to the Allahabad High Court. His judicial work was withdrawn pending the probe.

Justice Varma, however, has denied the allegations, maintaining that no cash was recovered from his residence.

“Why should I be impeached?”: Varma’s defence

In his response to a parliamentary panel, Justice Varma said he was not present at the residence when the fire broke out and was not the first responder.

“Why should I be impeached if officials failed to secure the site... The police and fire department officials present failed to take action as required,” he told the panel, according to sources.

He argued that the site was under the control of authorities present at the time and questioned how he could be held responsible for any alleged lapse.

PROBE PANEL AND SC SETBACK

In August 2025, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla constituted a three-member committee under the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968 to examine the allegations.

The panel includes Justice Aravind Kumar of the Supreme Court, Justice Maninder Mohan, Chief Justice of the Madras High Court, and senior advocate BV Acharaya.

Justice Varma challenged the validity of the panel before the Supreme Court, arguing that the motion seeking his removal had been rejected by the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.

The Supreme Court, however, dismissed his plea, allowing the parliamentary committee to proceed with its inquiry.

INQUIRY FINDINGS TIGHTEN SCRUTINY

An earlier in-house inquiry panel, comprising Justice Sheel Nagu, Justice GS Sandhawalia and Justice Anu Sivaraman, found prima facie that Justice Varma and his family had control over the room where the cash was allegedly found.

The report was forwarded to the President and the Prime Minister after Justice Varma declined to step down despite being advised to do so.

IMPEACHMENT PROCESS IN MOTION

An impeachment motion backed by 146 Lok Sabha members further escalated the matter, prompting the reconstitution of a fresh three-member probe panel.

Under Articles 124 and 217 of the Constitution, a judge can be removed for “proved misbehaviour” or “incapacity”. The process requires a two-thirds majority in both Houses of Parliament.

No judge has been successfully impeached in India so far.

With the probe advancing and the prospect of removal proceedings looming, Justice Varma’s resignation marks a crucial turn in one of the most high-profile judicial controversies in recent years.

- Ends