HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) presided over by Abdul Ghafoor Memon on Monday rejected an application of the defence counsel seeking transfer of the Aqib Shahani (son of a sessions judge) murder case to an ordinary court.

Advocate Raja Mir for Sikandar Lashari, then a sessions judge, had filed the application arguing that the ATC had no jurisdiction to try the case.

He stated that the court could transfer the matter to an ordinary court at this stage since it had taken cognisance of the case.

The counsel didn’t agree with the court’s view that the court had not taken cognisance of the case by remanding the suspect in the police custody and that cognisance would only deemed to have been taken when a challan (charge-sheet) was accepted by it.

He contended that when the court took an action in any case, it showed cognisance on the part of the court. He said that this case was a result of offshoot of old enmity.

Aqib Shahani, son of sessions judge Khalid Shahani, was shot dead on Feb 19 within the jurisdiction of the GOR police station. Sikandar Lashari was sessions judge at Mithi when arrested in the case.