'Deep Anguish': Allahabad HC Judge Yashwant Varma Resigns After Cash-At-Home Row

Justice Yashwant Varma of the Allahabad High Court on Friday submitted his resignation to President Droupadi Murmu.

Justice Varma had been transferred from the Delhi High Court back to Allahabad after a controversy over alleged cash discovery at his residence. A huge pile of currency notes was found at an outhouse of the official residence of Justice Varma, then a judge of the Delhi High Court, during a fire-fighting operation on March 14.

A video showed bundles of cash burning in the fire. The recovery led to a huge public controversy.

The then CJI Sanjiv Khanna had constituted an in-house inquiry committee comprising three judges. Meanwhile, Justice Varma was repatriated to the Allahabad High Court, and his judicial work was withdrawn pending the inquiry.

The committee had submitted its report to CJI Khanna, which the CJI forwarded to the President and the Prime Minister for further action, after Justice Varma refused to heed the CJI's advice to resign.

The three-judge in-house inquiry committee termed Justice Varma's conduct after the fire incident “unnatural”, leading to certain adverse inferences against him.

Justice Varma had taken oath on April 5, 2025, and is currently facing an in-house inquiry, with the possibility of parliamentary removal proceedings in connection with the allegations.