Justice Yashwant Varma Resignation and JIC Proceedings Withdrawal [Letters Attached]

In a significant development within India's higher judiciary, Justice Yashwant Varma resignation made headlines. He was serving as the Judge of the Allahabad High Court, transferred from Delhi High Court due to the cash row controversy in March 2025. The resignation was accompanied with a letter for withdrawal from Judges Inquiry Committee. The article covers Justice Yashwant Varma’s resignation to the President, and his case before the JIC proceedings. 

Justice Yashwant Varma Cash Row News

The hard step of Justice Yashwant Varma’s resignation did not come out of the blue, but the result of systemic failure. The matter originates from an incident on the night of 14-15 March 2025, when a fire broke out in a storeroom located within the government premises allotted to Justice Varma. Emergency services attended the scene, and officials from the Delhi Fire Services and Delhi Police recorded videos that were subsequently circulated, appearing to show cash or currency discovered at the storeroom. 

Justice Varma has consistently maintained that he was absent from the premises from 12th March2025 onwards, having travelled with his spouse to a remote location with limited mobile connectivity. Following the incident, an In-House Committee (IHC) was constituted and conducted its inquiry from 22nd March onwards and a report was submitted on 4th May, 2025. In November 2025, a notice was issued for Justice Yashwant Varma to respond regarding Articles of Charge framed against him for alleged misbehaviour. Recording of evidence in support of the charges commenced on 6th February 2026 and concluded on 17th March 2026. 

Justice Yashwant Varma Resignation

On 9th April, Justice Yashwant Varma submitted his resignation to the President of India. He refrained from mentioning the reasons behind his resignation from the office of Judge of the Allahabad High Court. The image of the resignation letter sent by Justice Yashwant Varma, addressed to President Draupadi Murmu, is reflected in the image below: 

Justice Varma's Case Before Inquiry Committee

In his letter dated 9th April, 2026, Justice Yashwant Varma conveyed about resignation and sought withdrawal from inquiry proceedings. The 13-paged letter expressed his agony and distrust in the procedure, as highlighted below: 

• On evidentiary record: Justice Varma submitted that no evidence was led to demonstrate that the cash found belonged to him or was placed there with his knowledge. He even stated that “the entire episode was sensationally reported in the media with the clear narrative that the cash belonged to me”.
• On conduct of proceedings: He expressed concern over the manner in which witnesses were handled. Of 31 witnesses originally cited before the JIC, only 9 were ultimately examined. Justice Yashwant Varma did not get the opportunity to be present during their examination, or to cross-examine those witnesses.
• On IHC material: Justice Varma contended that the JIC relied upon material gathered during the IHC inquiry, including the IHC Report and a Site Inspection Report. This happened despite the Supreme Court’s observation that the IHC proceedings were preliminary in nature and its report was not intended to serve as substantive evidence in subsequent proceedings.
• On due process: Justice Yashwant Varma argued that the proceedings effectively reversed the burden of proof, requiring him to disprove assumptions and presumptions without the prosecution first establishing even a prima facie case on any of the three charges.
• On the CCTV footage: He noted that a CCTV camera was directly positioned towards the storeroom, with footage recorded on equipment outside his control. Despite repeated requests, neither the footage nor a clone of the recording was made available to him.

To access letter written by Justice Yashwant Varma for withdrawal from JIC proceedings, Click Here.

Two Words on Justice Yashwant Varma controversy

Justice Yashwant Varma resignation and withdrawal from JIC proceedings is an unforgettable event in the Judicial history. With words reflecting upon his “deepest sadness”, “profound anguish” and “heavy heart”, Justice Yashwant Varma ended the cash row episode. However, the two sides of the coin still await a satisfatory conclusion. If the burnt currency notes found at his residence belonged to Justice Yashwant Varma, then the gaps in the Indian Justice System need to be addressed. However, if Justice Yashwant Varma’s version is genuine, then the whole system lands in a big question mark.