Allahabad High Court judge Yashwant Varma, who was at the centre of an alleged cash discovery controversy at his residence, has tendered his resignation to President Droupadi Murmu, according to reports. Justice Varma, who took oath as a judge of the Allahabad High Court on April 5 last year, is currently facing an in-house inquiry amid the possibility of parliamentary removal proceedings linked to the allegations.

The controversy intensified after reports of burnt wads of cash being recovered from his New Delhi residence in March last year, following which he was transferred to the Allahabad High Court. Last month, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla reconstituted a three-member committee to examine the grounds for his removal. The panel now includes Supreme Court judge Justice Aravind Kumar, Bombay High Court Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Karnataka High Court senior advocate BV Acharya.

Justice Varma had earlier challenged the impeachment motion before the Supreme Court of India in December last year, arguing that the committee was constituted without a decision from the Rajya Sabha Chairperson on admission of the motion. He contended that no such panel should have been formed “unless the motion has been admitted in both Houses,” raising key constitutional questions even as the probe against him continues.