Rajab Butt withdraws plea seeking transfer of case outside Karachi

A petition seeking the transfer of a case involving YouTuber Rajjab Butt from Karachi to another city was withdrawn on Monday after objections raised by the court regarding the procedural stage of the case.

During the hearing in the Sindh High Court, the Chief Justice questioned the status of the case proceedings and asked the defence counsel at which stage the matter was currently pending in the trial court.

The lawyer representing Rajjab Butt informed the court that the investigating officer had not yet submitted the challan in the district court, meaning the formal charge sheet in the case was still awaited.

On this, the court observed that a request for transferring a case could not be entertained at such an early stage, especially when the challan had not yet been submitted. The court further noted that such applications are typically considered after the formal submission of the challan and commencement of proper trial proceedings.

The lawyer subsequently requested the court to withdraw the transfer plea. Accepting the request, the court disposed of the petition as withdrawn.

The petition had earlier been filed on grounds of alleged security concerns, with the applicant seeking to move the case out of Karachi.