Alleged rape case: DNA samples of suspended judge taken

KARACHI: Imtiaz Bhutto, a judge suspended in a rape case, has finally submitted his samples for DNA test on the court orders.

Civil judge and Judicial Magistrate (now suspended) Sehwan Mr. Bhutto was accused of raping a woman, Salma Barohi, on January 13 this year. Earlier, he was avoiding giving his samples for the DNA test and recording his statement with the police.

Mr. Bhutto requested the court to get his DNA tested from any United States (US) laboratory, as he did not trust any Pakistani lab. It is pertinent to mention that the Supreme Court had made it clear in many judgments that in any case of sexual abuse, the accused must submit DNA. However, in the instant case, this mandatory legal formality was delayed.

On Friday, Additional Sessions Judge, Kotri Rehmatullah Morio directed DNA testing of Mr. Bhutto the same day from any laboratory of Jamshoro district. Investigation officer, DSP Masood Iqbal, had complained of non-cooperative attitude of Mr. Bhutto.

Following the court order, DNA samples of Mr. Bhutto were taken in the supervision of First Civil Judge Kotri at the Forensic Laboratory of Liaquat University of Medical Sciences (LUMS).

In her written complaint to the Station House Officer (SHO) Sehwan in January, Salma Barohi had claimed that Imtiaz Bhutto had raped her in his chamber. Subsequently, on January 18, the judge’s services were suspended on the direction of Chief Justice Sindh High Court Justice Ahmed Ali Sheikh. On January 22, a formal First Information Report (FIR) was registered by the Sehwan Police Station.