HYDERABAD, Nov 13: Police on Tuesday sought permission from the registrar of the Sindh High Court to file a charge-sheet in court against Mohammad Saleem Qambrani, the senior civil judge of Jacobabad, in the couple murder case.

Ishtiaq Sheikh and his wife Samia Detho were killed allegedly by the woman’s father, brother and their associates after the couple got married of their freewill.

Earlier in the day, Mr Qambrani gave his statement to the investigation officer of the couple murder case under Section 161 of the criminal procedure code in the presence of the additional registrar of the SHC.

The Hyderabad SSP wrote a letter (No.PB/18076-83) dated Nov 13 to the SHC registrar to seek permission to file the charge-sheet against the judge before an anti-terrorism court.

The letter said that Mr Qambrani had been ‘interrogated’ in the presence of the SHC additional registrar as per the court directives by the IO.

The SSP said in the letter that the period of investigation under Section 173 of the CrPC was going to expire and, therefore, necessary permission in the light of Section 197 of the CrPC be accorded to file the charge-sheet against the accused before the ATC.

Mr Qambrani had been given interim pre-arrest bail by the ATC till Nov 14.

Five other suspects had also been remanded in judicial custody by the ATC on Monday.

The couple was reportedly killed on Aug 23 in Mangar Mori village within the remit of the Pabban police station when they were returning to their homes on assurance that their freewill marriage would be accepted.

They got married after leaving the village for Karachi in November last year.

The Tandojam police had registered the case (FIR No 190/12) of double murder against 22 people, including the judicial officer, on a complaint of Ismail Sheikh, who claimed the accused had killed his brother Ishtiaq Sheikh and his wife, as his brother had angered the accused by marrying Samia Detho against their will.

Meanwhile, Mr Qambrani denied allegations levelled against him by the complainant of the murder case in his statement given to the IO, according to the police.

He said that the complainant levelled allegations against him at the behest of someone else and that’s why he and his son were nominated in the FIR.

He termed the issue a personal matter between the Sheikhs and the Dethos and said that he had nothing to do with it.

He said that all charges against his son and him were false and concocted.

The suspect said that it was wrong that he had asked the complainant to pay Rs1 million and marry his two sisters to the Dethos.

He denied having issued threats to the complainant’s family from time to time and said that he had been on leave for last one month.

He claimed that neither had he issued any informal verdict in the community to settle the issue nor had the accused committed the murder at his behest.

Meanwhile, the SHO of the Pabban police station, Ali Mohammad Bajeer, was transferred to Sukkur on the orders of the DIG-Establishment.