Rizwana torture case, Judge’s wife arrested

Providing relief to the parents of a 14-year-old Rizwana, brutally tortured, the wife of a civil judge was taken into custody after her bail was revoked by a local court in Islamabad.

The case involved allegations of mistreatment and abuse of a teenage domestic worker.

Somia Asim, the spouse of Civil Judge Asim Hafeez, had obtained interim bail to evade arrest in connection with the accusations of assaulting and torturing the young girl who was employed as household help in their residence.

The distressing incident of severe mistreatment of the minor came to light earlier in the month when her parents moved her to a Lahore hospital due to grave injuries, asserting that the judge’s wife had subjected her to brutal torture.

Today, Somia appeared in front of Additional District and Sessions Judge Farrukh Fareed alongside her legal team for the hearing on her bail application.

Initiating the arguments, the defense attorney informed the court that Somia had maintained her innocence during the inquiry conducted by the joint investigation team (JIT) assigned to investigate the case.

It is noteworthy that during the investigation, the accused denied any involvement of the girl, named Rizwana, as a domestic worker at her residence. Instead, she claimed to have sent Rs60,000 to Rizwana’s parents as financial assistance.

The lawyer emphasized that the police records of the case did not indicate any instance of Somia subjecting Rizwana to torture. He asserted that Somia had returned the child to her parents unharmed and requested the court to await the conclusion of the JIT’s inquiry, expected by evening.

However, the prosecution opposed the plea and urged the court to dismiss Somia’s bail application.

In response, the court instructed both sides to present arguments in favor of and against the bail request.

The court also directed the investigating officer to obtain the video mentioned by the defense attorney, which supposedly depicted Somia accompanying Rizwana to the bus stop to ensure the girl’s return to her parents.

During the arguments, the prosecution asserted that recovering the “object” allegedly used by Somia to beat Rizwana was crucial to substantiating the charges. They argued that Somia’s arrest was necessary to secure this object.

Judge Fareed remarked, “There is currently no reason to extend the bail. The search for truth should not be hindered by apprehensions,” before instructing the prosecution to diligently collect evidence.

Subsequently, the court ordered Somia’s arrest while dismissing her bail application.

However, the accused began crying in the courtroom, prompting the judge to repeatedly request officials to escort her out.

Following this, the Islamabad police apprehended Somia outside the court.

The police will now present the suspect before a duty magistrate to seek her physical remand for further interrogation.