Maid torture case: Islamabad court orders arrest of civil judge’s wife
A district and sessions court in Islamabad on Monday rejected the bail plea of Somia Asim — the wife of a civil judge — in a case pertaining to the alleged torture of an underage domestic help in the capital, and ordered police to arrest her.
The suspect was subsequently taken into custody by the capital police from the court’s premises.
Somia was booked in the case after she was accused of severely torturing a teenage maid, who was moved to the Lahore General Hospital in critical condition on July 24.
According to the girl’s medico-legal certificate (MLC), she had “laceration on head from vertex, on forehead, right side above eyebrow, swollen upper lips, laceration under upper lip on right side, broken left incisor and left canine, laceration on check, nose bleed, laceration on left side of vertex, multiple bruises on lower leg, fracture on right forearm, swollen left and right eyelids, bruise on right skull, laceration on back, multiple bruises on back and attempt on strangulation.”
After showing reluctance, Islamabad police had registered a first information report in the case on July 26. Initially, the police booked the judge’s wife for criminal intimidation and wrongful confinement, without mentioning physical torture in the FIR. However, eight more sections — including murder — were later added to the FIR.
On July 28, the Lahore High Court (LHC) had granted protective bail to the judge’s wife till August 1. Last week, a district and sessions court in Islamabad had granted the suspect pre-arrest bail in the case till August 7 (today).
Upon the expiry of her pre-arrest bail, Somia appeared before Additional District and Sessions Judge Farrukh Fareed Baloch today. At the outset of the hearing, police submitted the case record while the lawyer representing the teenage victim was also present.
However, Somia’s lawyer urged the court to adjourn the hearing till 10 am. When the hearing resumed, the lawyer told the court that his client had appeared before the joint investigation team (JIT) formed to probe the case and had expressed her innocence.
“In the police record, officials wrote that the accused Somia Asim did not inflict torture. She repeatedly asked to send the maid back,” he said.
The lawyer said that the victim’s mother had been summoned by the JIT later today. “It would be better to wait till the evening when the JIT investigation is completed,” he said.
Meanwhile, the lawyer representing the victims urged the court to cancel the suspect’s bail. At this, Judge Baloch said that the accused person in the case was bound to be investigated under all circumstances.
However, the lawyer contended that the investigating officer had not probed the case through all the aspects and asked if the police had obtained the video of the crime scene.
“None of your arguments until now are sufficient for an extension in [Somia’s] bail,” the judge stated. To that, the lawyer said that the first five lines of the case were based on “lies”. However, Judge Baloch remarked that he would only hear arguments on the suspect’s bail plea.
The case
The case was registered at the Humak police station in response to the complaint from the girl’s father, a labourer by profession. According to the FIR, he sent his daughter to the house of the judge at Zartaj Housing Society through an acquaint against Rs10,000 per month salary.
On July 23, he along with his wife and brother-in-law came to the judge’s house to meet his daughter and found her injured and weeping in a room, it added.
They found infected injuries on his head besides wounds all around the face, both arms and legs, the FIR said, adding her tooth was also found broken and swilling on both lips and eyes.
“Her ribs were also found broken, and injuries were found on her back. Marks of strangulation were also found around her neck.”
When asked, she told her family that the judge’s wife used to torture and beat her with batons and spoons daily and did not provide her with dinner.
The FIR said the girl was detained in a room since her arrival at the house. Later, the family took her to the Sargodha DHQ hospital where the girl’s condition deteriorated and was then referred to Lahore.
More to follow