Civil judge’s wife granted bail in Rizwana torture case

ISLAMABAD: Additional District and Sessions Judge (AD&SJ) Muhammad Haroon Monday accepted a bail application of Somia Asim, the wife a civil judge Asim Hafeez, in minor housemaid Rizwana Bibi torture case.

The court accepted the bail request and directed the wife of civil judge to submit surety bond of Rs100,000 to avail the benefit of bail. The accused was arrested from the court premises on August 7 after a district and sessions court rejected her bail plea in the maid torture case and ordered the police to take her into custody.

Manga Khan, father of the maid, filed a complaint saying that he had sent her 13-year-old daughter Rizwana to the house of the civil judge in Zarta Housing Society in Islamabad to work for Rs10,000 monthly wages. “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 said, 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 said she was detained in a room for days. Judge’s wife was produced before a court on August 8, which sent her to jail on judicial remand and the police request for a physical remand was rejected. 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.