Wads of cash were purportedly found at an outhouse of Justice Varma’s official residence in Delhi during a fire on March 14 last year. (File image)The Delhi High Court on Monday refused to entertain a plea seeking registration of an FIR and investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the alleged cash found at Justice Yashwant Varma’s official residence in March last year.Dismissing the petition by advocate Ghanshyam Dayalu Upadhyay, Justice Amit Bansal termed the petition to be a “wild witch hunt”, remarking, “I’m not entertaining this. This is a wild witch hunt. You have nothing better to do?”Earlier in August, the Supreme Court dismissed a similar petition by Upadhyay while remarking that his plea appeared to be aiming for “cheap publicity”.Upadhyay, on Friday, sought to withdraw his plea but it was ultimately rejected by the Delhi HC.Wads of cash were purportedly found at an outhouse of Justice Varma’s official residence in Delhi during a fire on March 14 last year.A three-judge in-house inquiry was initiated in the aftermath of the discovery and the judge was repatriated to the Allahabad High Court and not allotted judicial work.The internal probe had substantiated the charges and forwarded its findings to the President and Prime Minister for further action.Story continues below this adImpeachment motions were subsequently introduced in both Houses of Parliament in August last year, prompting the Lok Sabha Speaker to set up an inquiry panel under the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968, after 146 Lok Sabha MPs moved a removal motion against Justice Varma.In April this year, Justice Varma tendered his resignation, while the Parliamentary inquiry committee, in its report tabled in Parliament in August this year, ruled that the three charges against him stand proved.The three charges included the discovery and possession of “substantial unexplained Rs 500 denomination currency notes”; failing to preserve material evidence and causing interference with it; and “evasive and misleading explanations” that lacked the candour and transparency expected of a constitutional functionary.Justice Varma has consistently denied ownership or knowledge of the cash, and has also alleged a conspiracy against him, claiming that the cash was planted in his residence’s storeroom.Sohini Ghosh is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express. Previously based in Ahmedabad covering Gujarat, she recently moved to the New Delhi bureau, where she primarily covers legal developments at the Delhi High Court Professional Profile Background: An alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), she previously worked with ET NOW before joining The Indian Express. Core Beats: Her reporting is currently centered on the Delhi High Court, with a focus on high-profile constitutional disputes, disputes over intellectual property, criminal and civil cases, issues of human rights and regulatory law (especially in the areas of technology and healthcare). Earlier Specialty: In Gujarat, she was known for her rigorous coverage in the beats of crime, law and policy, and social justice issues, including the 2002 riot cases, 2008 serial bomb blast case, 2016 flogging of Dalits in Una, among others. She has extensively covered health in the state, including being part of the team that revealed the segregation of wards at the state’s largest government hospital on lines of faith in April 2020. With Ahmedabad being a UNESCO heritage city, she has widely covered urban development and heritage issues, including the redevelopment of the Sabarmati Ashram Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent reporting from the Delhi High Court covers major political, constitutional, corporate, and public-interest legal battles: High-Profile Case Coverage She has extensively covered the various legal battles - including for compensation under the aegis of North East Delhi Riots Claims Commission - pertaining to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, as well as 1984 anti-Sikh riots. She has also led coverage at the intersection of technology and governance, and its impact on the citizenry, from, and beyond courtrooms — such as the government’s stakeholder consultations for framing AI-Deepfake policy. Signature Style Sohini is recognized for her sustained reporting from courtrooms and beyond. She specialises in breaking down dense legal arguments to make legalese accessible for readers. Her transition from Gujarat to Delhi has seen her expand her coverage on regulatory, corporate and intellectual property law, while maintaining a strong commitment to human rights and lacuna in the criminal justice system. X (Twitter): @thanda_ghosh ... Read More Tags:delhi