New Delhi: Despite being indicted by an in-house committee and the Chief Justice of India seeking his resignation, Justice Yashwant Varma – currently serving with the Allahabad high court –has refused to resign from his post, as per a report by BarAndBench. Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna has now forwarded the two documents – the report by the in-house committee consisting of judges from three high courts, and Justice Varma’s response – to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to initiate impeachment procedures against Justice Varma. Justice Varma, who was earlier a judge at the Delhi high court, faced the probe due to the recovery of unaccounted cash from his residence by firefighters on March 14 following a fire, and subsequent allegations of corruption that surfaced. However, Justice Varma alleged that this was a “conspiracy” to frame him. On March 22, CJI Khanna initiated an in-house probe to look into the allegations. The three member committee that conducted the inquiry comprised Justices Sheel Nagu, G. S. Sandhawalia and Anu Sivaraman, who are chief justices of the Punjab and Haryana high court and Himachal Pradesh high court, and a judge at the Karnataka High Court respectively.The Indian Express reported that this in-house committee, in their report submitted on May 4, found “credence in the allegations of cash” that was found at Justice Varma’s residence. According to Hindustan Times, CJI Khanna sought a response from Justice Varma within 48 hours after the committee submitted its report. The Indian Express on May 9 reported that CJI Khanna had sought Justice Varma’s resignation. However, he allegedly refused to resign. The Indian Express quoted an official release that said that the CJI, “in terms of the In-House Procedure, has written” to both the President and Prime Minister “enclosing therewith copy of the 3-Member Committee report dated 03.05.2025 along with the letter/response dated 06.05.2025 received from Mr. Justice Yashwant Varma.”As per the Indian Constitution, a sitting judge can be removed only by order of the President, based on a motion passed by both Houses of Parliament.