With Parliament set to initiate removal proceedings, resignation has become the only path for Allahabad High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma to preserve his pension and other post-retirement entitlements. Under Article 217 of the Constitution, a High Court judge may resign simply by submitting a letter to the President - no approval needed. 

Officials explain that once Parliament removes a judge through impeachment, that judge loses access to all retirement benefits—making resignation a strategically vital option. Congress MPs, including senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, have urged Justice Varma to resign ahead of formal impeachment motions to avoid the harsher consequences. 

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has dismissed Justice Varma’s challenge against the in-house inquiry that found him culpable in the “cash-at-home” scandal, describing his conduct as failing to “inspire confidence.”

Now, with a three-member parliamentary committee already constituted to probe his potential removal, Varma faces a critical decision—resign with dignity or fight impeachment and risk losing everything.