The resignation of Justice Yashwant Varma from the Allahabad High Court is being seen by many as a clever legal manoeuvre, but it raises more questions than it answers. By stepping down just as impeachment proceedings gathered momentum in Parliament, he has effectively brought the process to a halt, since impeachment is meant only to remove a sitting judge. Had the process run its course and ended in his removal, he would have forfeited several post-retirement benefits, including provident fund entitlements, and carried the indelible stain of being the first judge in India’s history to be impeached. Instead, he has chosen a path that allows him to exit office without that formal dishonour, even........

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