# Parliament can’t impeach judge who resigned: legal experts

2026-08-13T17:48:19+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 2 independent outlets

A Lok Sabha committee has indicted former high court judge Justice Yashwant Varma on all charges related to unexplained cash found at his Delhi residence in March 2025. The report was tabled in Parliament on Wednesday, but Justice Varma resigned in April 2026 while the inquiry was underway. This has created a constitutional puzzle: can Parliament remove a judge who has already left office? Senior advocates Raju Ramachandran and Mohan Gopal told LiveLaw that a high court judge's resignation takes effect immediately and does not require presidential acceptance. They cited precedent from Justice P.D. Dinakaran's case. However, the government has not formally notified the resignation, and the Allahabad High Court website still lists Justice Varma as a sitting judge, deepening the paradox.

## Coverage

- hindustantimes.com <https://www.hindustantimes.com/ht-explainers/monsoon-session-of-parliament-justice-yashwant-varma-inquiry-report-constitutional-paradox-impeachment-removal-of-judge-101786608726161.html>
- livelaw.in <https://www.livelaw.in/top-stories/is-justice-yashwant-varma-still-a-judge-of-allahabad-high-court-545675>

Tags: constitutional paradox, high court judges, judicial impeachment, Justice Yashwant Varma, parliamentary inquiry
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