Court grants pre-arrest bail to suspect in maid torture case

ISLAMABAD: A district and sessions court in Islamabad on Tuesday granted pre-arrest bail to a woman (the wife of a judge) in a case pertaining to the alleged torture of an underage domestic help in the capital.

Somia Asim, the suspect, was booked 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 added to the FIR a day earlier.

On July 28, the Lahore High Court had granted protective bail to the judge’s wife till August 1.

Read more: Parvez Elahi gets bail in money laundering case

Today, Somia appeared before the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Dr Abida Sajjad for the confirmation of her bail.

At the outset of the hearing, the judge asked the petitioner to submit her identity card in court. She then approved Somia’s bail till Aug 7 against surety bonds worth Rs100,000.

ADSJ Sajjad, who served as the duty judge during today’s proceeding, instructed Somia to appear before the court of ADSJ Farrukh Farid at the next hearing.