Justice Prakash Shirvastava rejected the plea. Saqib is accused of hiring two contract killers for eliminating Shehla for Rs 3 lakh.
Other accused arrested in the case are interior designer Zahida Pervez, her friend Saba Faruqi and alleged contract killers Irfan and Tabish.
Zahida is accused of hatching the conspiracy to kill Shehla as she was jealous of Shehla's growing proximity with the BJP MLA Dhruv Narayan Singh.
Shehla was shot dead in front of her house in Bhopal on August 16, 2011.
