Domestic help torture case: Court grants bail to civil judge’s wife

• Somia Asim was arrested from the court premises on August 7.
• Rizwana Bibi said she was tortured by judge’s wife on daily basis.
• JIT was also formed to probe the matter. 

ISLAMABAD: The civil judge’s wife, Somia Asim, accused of brutally torturing a 14-year-old domestic help, has been granted bail by an additional district and sessions court in Islamabad, The News reported on Monday.

Additional District and Sessions Judge (AD&SJ) Muhammad Haroon accepted bail application of Judge Asim Hafeez’s wife and directed the accused to submit surety bond of Rs100,000.

The case came to light on July 25 when Rizwana Bibi was shifted to a hospital in Lahore with serious injuries.

Taking swift action on the reports, the police filed a case against the wife of the civil judge for the alleged brutal torture of the minor, employed as a domestic help at their house. Somia was arrested from the court premises on August 7 after a district and sessions court rejected her bail plea in the case.

The publication further reported that Manga Khan, Rizwana's father, filed a complaint saying that he had sent her daughter to the house of the civil judge in Zarta Housing Society in Islamabad to work for Rs10,000 monthly wage.

“He, along with her wife, and brother-in-law, came to Islamabad to meet her daughter at the house of the judge, and found the girl crying and in deteriorated condition,” the applicant said.

The victim was badly wounded, the complaint stated, adding that her ribs were also fractured and marks of injuries were found on her back.

When he asked her daughter about the abuser, Rizwana said that she was tortured by the judge’s wife on a daily basis and the employer also refused to give her food at times. She added she was detained in a room for days.

The judge’s wife was produced before a court on August 8 and was sent her to jail on judicial remand, rejecting the police request for a physical remand.

Two days later, Judicial Magistrate Shaista Kundi rejected the post-arrest bail petition of Somia Asim.

The medical examination also revealed that Rizwana was suffering from sepsis and both her lungs were affected while she was also reported to be poisoned.

On August 5, it was reported that a five-member joint investigation team (JIT) was formed to probe the much-highlighted case.

The probe team would be headed by the Islamabad Operations deputy inspector general (DIG), who will serve as the body's convener. Other members include officials from the Inter-services Intelligence (ISI), Intelligence Bureau (IB), Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), and SSP investigations of Islamabad police.