The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday dismissed the application of a suspended Anti-Vehicle Lifting Cell official for transferring his kidnapping for ransom case from an anti-terrorism court (ATC) to a sessions court.
Mohammad Rizwan had been booked by the police for kidnapping a citizen from the Khokhrapar area, following which the cop demanded a ransom for the victimâs release.
According to the prosecution, Rizwan and the absconding co-accused Bahadur had kidnapped a man named Jameel and demanded ransom for his release, but the applicant was arrested by the police.
The applicantâs counsel claimed that the police officials had been falsely implicated in the case, saying that they had arrested Jameel over a misunderstanding, while the actual accused had managed to escape.
He requested that the court transfer the case from an ATC to a sessions court, arguing that the case did not fall within the ambit of the anti-terrorism law.
The stateâs counsel, however, opposed the application and said that the police had arrested the applicant with concrete evidence of kidnapping the citizen and demanding a ransom for his release. The SHC said prima facie (on first impression), the applicant misused his power and authority, so the case could not be transferred to a sessions court in such circumstances.
