Allahabad HC Judge Yashwant Varma Steps Amid During Ongoing Impeachment Probe; Know what happened?

Justice Yashwant Varma of the Allahabad High Court has submitted his resignation from office amid an ongoing parliamentary inquiry into allegations linked to a cash recovery case.

According to reports, the resignation was addressed to the President of India, with a copy sent to the Chief Justice of India. The development comes at a time when a formal impeachment process had already been initiated against him in the Lok Sabha.
"It is with deep anguish that I tender my resignation from the office of Judge of the Hon'ble High Court of Judicature at Allahabad with immediate effect", he mentioned.

The inquiry is connected to a controversy that began in March 2025, when a fire broke out at Justice Varma’s residence in Delhi. During the incident, a large amount of cash was reportedly discovered, which led to serious questions and demands for investigation. 
Following this, more than 100 Members of Parliament supported a motion to initiate removal proceedings against the judge under the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968.                                                                                            

A three member committee was subsequently set up to examine the allegations . The process marked a rare instance of impeachment proceedings being initiated against a sitting HIgh Court judge .The members of the Committee are Justice Arvind Kumar of the Supreme Court, Justice Shree Chandrashekhar, Chief Justice of Bombay High Court and Vasudeva Acharya, Senior Advocate of the Karnataka High Court.

 In his resignation letter , Justice Varma expressed " deep anguish" and stated that it had  been an honour to serve in the judiciary . However he did not provide detailed reasons for stepping down .                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Earlier, during the course of the controversy, Justice Varma had been transferred from the Delhi High Court to the Allahabad High Court.

Legal experts note that once a judge resigns, the impeachment process in Parliament typically does not continue, as the individual is no longer in office. The development is therefore expected to have an impact on the ongoing inquiry.                                                                                                                                        

 The case has drawn attention to issues of judicial accountability and he mechanisms available to address allegations against members of the higher judiciary .