KARACHI, Dec 5: A contempt of court case against leaders of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement was on Wednesday transferred by the administrative judge of the anti-terrorism courts, Karachi, from ATC-IV to ATC-I.

Justice Shabbir Ahmed passed the order on the plea of the alleged contemners who submitted in their application that they did not expect a fair trial from the judge of ATC IV.

The judge concerned in his written comments to the allegations had stated that the contemmners were deliberately obstructing the dispensation of justice.

The deputy convener of the MQM coordination committee, Aftab Shaikh, and Dr Farooq Sattar appeared before the court along with their counsel Nawab Mirza. The assistant advocate general of Sindh, Habib Ahmed, representing the state, did not oppose the application.

Justice Shabbir Ahmed, while allowing the application, directed the judge of ATC I to dispose of the matter expeditiously — not later than four months.

Both Dr Farooq Sattar and Aftab Shaikh, along with Nasreen Jalil, were charged with contempt of court by an ATC headed by Javed Alam for their remarks on the judiciary at a joint press conference.

LAW challenged: A division bench of the Sindh High Court, comprising Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed and Justice S. Ali Aslam Jafri, on Wednesday heard initial arguments in a petition filed by Tarique Hussain Abro and 13 others who maintained that the Removal From Service (Special Powers) Sindh Ordinance is ultra vires of the Constitution, adds APP.

The Removal From Service (Special Powers) Sindh Ordinance was challenged before SHC by 14 assistant engineers (mechanical/civil and electrical) of the Sindh Irrigation Department.

They prayed to the court to declare the said ordinance as illegal and void, calling it against the principles of law and natural justice. They prayed to strike it down on ground of “being parallel law promulgated without any justification during substance of similar efficiency and discipline rules”.

The bench, after the statement by the Sindh AG Raja Qureshi, put off further hearing till December 14.