New Delhi, 10 April

Embattled Allahabad High Court judge Yashwant Varma, who was facing heat after wads of burnt currency notes were recovered from his residence here last year, has submitted his resignation to President Droupadi Murmu, rendering the impeachment proceedings against him as infructuous.

The purported discovery of a huge stash of cash took place after a fire broke out at Lutyens' Delhi residence of Justice Varma, then a Delhi High Court judge, at around 11:35pm on the night of Holi on 14 March, 2025, prompting the fire department personnel to rush to the spot and douse the flames.

In a letter sent to the President on 9 April, the 57-year-old Justice Varma said he was tendering his resignation with "deep anguish" and it was an honour to serve the office.

"Your Excellency, 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 the Hon'ble High Court of Judicature at Allahabad, with immediate effect. It has been an honour to serve in this office," the resignation letter sent to the President on April 9 said.

The pending impeachment proceedings, intended to remove Varma from his office, becomes infructuous due to his resignation.

Consequently, a three-member inquiry committee comprising Supreme Court judge Justice Aravind Kumar, Madras High Court Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and senior advocate BV Acharya was conducting an inquiry, a condition precedent, before an impeachment motion.

Justice Varma's case saw many twists and turns after he refused to heed to the advice of then CJI Sanjiv Khanna to resign following two damning reports of judges.

Left with no option, Justice Khanna wrote to the President to proceed further to impeach Justice Varma.

He was later repatriated from the Delhi High Court to the Allahabad HC.

The top court on 16 January had dismissed Varma's plea challenging the Lok Sabha Speaker's decision to admit an impeachment motion and the validity of a panel set up to inquire corruption charges against him, saying a provision in law cannot be used as a weapon to scuttle parliamentary proceedings.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla admitted a multi-party motion for Justice Varma's removal on 12 August last year.

In an unprecedented move, the apex court on 22 March last year had uploaded on its website an in-house inquiry report, including photos and videos, into alleged discovery of a huge stash of cash at the residence of Justice Varma.

On March 22, 2025 then CJI Khanna had constituted a three-member committee to conduct an inquiry.

Justice Varma had "unequivocally" stated that no cash was ever placed in the storeroom "either by me or any of my family members and (I) strongly denounce the suggestion that the alleged cash belonged to us".

Justice Varma was enrolled as an advocate on 8 August, 1992. He was appointed as an additional judge of the Allahabad High Court on 13 October, 2014. High Court judges retire at the age of 62.

He took oath as a permanent judge of the Allahabad High Court on 1 February, 2016, before being appointed as a judge of the Delhi High Court on 11 October, 2021.

A judge of a constitutional court can only be removed from office through an impeachment motion passed by Parliament.