Atef Awad, a member of al-Wasat party, told the private ONTV station that judges should be treated like all other public officials, expected to retire at 60.
But the owner and main presenter of the channel, Atef Abdel Rasheed, denied that a fatwa had been issued and said the scholar's words were taken out of context.
If, for example, the drone from which the fatal attack on Atef was launched had sensed that his car was overtaking a school bus, it might then have held fire.