Justice Yashwant Verma of the Allahabad High Court has resigned. This resignation comes approximately one year after a major controversy erupted regarding the alleged recovery of a large amount of cash from his official residence in Delhi.
His resignation has been submitted to the President. It comes at a time when he was facing an internal inquiry, and discussions were also underway regarding the possibility of his removal from office through a parliamentary process.
The controversy dates back to March of last year, when a fire broke out at Justice Verma’s official residence in Delhi. During the firefighting operations, piles of cash were reportedly discovered at the scene; according to some reports, these piles stood more than 1.5 feet high.
The then Chief Justice took cognizance of the incident, following which Justice Verma was transferred from the Delhi High Court to the Allahabad High Court.
However, Justice Verma has denied these claims, stating that no cash was recovered from his residence.
Justice Verma’s Defense
In his response to a parliamentary panel, Justice Verma stated that he was not present at home when the fire broke out, nor was he the first person to arrive at the scene to assist in extinguishing the fire.
According to sources, he told the panel, “If the officials failed to secure the site, why should I be removed from office? The police and fire department officials present at the scene failed to take appropriate action as required.”
He also raised the question: given that the entire area was under the control of the officials present at the time of the incident, how could he be held responsible for any alleged lapses?
Inquiry, Legal Challenge, and Setback from the SC
In August 2025, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla constituted a three-member committee under the ‘Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968’ to investigate the allegations.
This panel comprises Supreme Court Justice Aravind Kumar, Madras High Court Chief Justice Manjula Chellur (formerly Manvinder Mohan), and Senior Advocate B.V. Acharya. Justice Verma had challenged the validity of this panel in the Supreme Court. He argued that the motion seeking his removal from office had already been rejected by the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
However, the Supreme Court dismissed his petition and permitted the parliamentary committee to proceed with its inquiry.
Findings of the Inquiry and Resignation
An internal inquiry panel constituted by the Supreme Court had previously found that the room where the cash was allegedly discovered was under the control of Justice Verma and his family members.
In light of the ongoing inquiry and the apprehension of impeachment proceedings, Justice Verma has now resigned from his post.