HYDERABAD: The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Hyderabad on Thursday issued notices to the special public prosecutor (SPP) and the counsel for the complainant in the Aqib Shahani murder case for April 23 on an application filed by the defence counsel, questioning jurisdiction of the ATC Hyderabad.

Raja Mir Mohammad, counsel for then sessions judge Sikandar Lashari, stated that the ATC had no jurisdiction to try his client in the murder case of Aqib Shahani, son of Sessions Judge of Jacobabad Khalid Hussain Shahani.

He filed his plea under Section 23 of the Anti Terrorism Act (ATA) 1997, claiming that the ATC could transfer the case to any ordinary sessions court.

He maintained that since no element of terrorism against the general public had been proved in the case, it should be tried by an ordinary court. He said that it was a murder which was an offshoot of an old enmity and it was not a crime against the state or the general public.

He argued that the public was not affected in this case. The court has fixed the application for hearing on April 23.

Meanwhile, the ATC judge remanded Lashari in police custody for another 15 days in the murder case of Aqib Shahani. Lashari was produced before the court by police.

He was produced before the civil judge and judicial magistrate-IX who remanded him in police custody for four days in a separate case lodged by the Nasim Nagar police station. The case was lodged following the disclosure that he had got the car of a private school principal, Aalia, snatched through his gunman Manzoor Daiper, according to police.

The murder case was lodged at the GOR police station on the complaint of Hunain Shahani, nephew of Aqib.

Aqib was gunned down in his vehicle by four gunmen.

Other absconding accused in the case are Ghulam Abbas Siyal, Barkat Lashari, Iqbal Punjabi, Farhan Siyal, Morr Channa and the gunman of Sikandar Lashari.