The Delhi High Court on Monday termed as a “wild witch hunt” a plea seeking registration of an FIR and a probe by an SIT or the CBI into the alleged discovery of a large stash of cash at the residence of former judge Yashwant Varma following a fire.
Justice Amit Bansal refused to entertain the plea filed by lawyer Ghanshyam Upadhyay, observing that the petitioner had alternative remedies available in law.
“I’m not entertaining this. This is a wild witch hunt. You have nothing better to do?” the judge remarked.
The court also questioned the petitioner’s locus and asked why he had not approached the trial court seeking registration of an FIR. Upadhyay submitted that the incident was “extraordinary” and that the lower court “can’t do justice to the matter”.
He argued that criminal law could be set in motion by anyone and that there was no embargo in the case.
After the court indicated that it would dismiss the plea, the petitioner withdrew it to pursue remedies available in law.
The petitioner had earlier approached the Supreme Court with a similar plea, which was dismissed in August.
The controversy erupted after a fire broke out at Varma’s Lutyens’ Delhi residence, then the official residence of a Delhi High Court judge, around 11.35 pm on March 14, 2025. Firefighters who reached the spot purportedly found a large amount of cash.
Varma was subsequently transferred to the Allahabad High Court, his parent high court, and faced impeachment proceedings.
He resigned on April 9 this year in a letter addressed to President Droupadi Murmu, rendering the removal proceedings initiated by the Lok Sabha “infructuous”. Varma was due to retire on January 5, 2031.
(With inputs from PTI)
