The arrest of a civil judge's wife after a local court in Islamabad revoked her bail in the case of suspected mistreatment of a teenage housemaid came as a relief to the parents of a 14-year-old torture victim.
Somia Asim, the wife of civil judge Asim Hafeez, had obtained interim bail to avoid being arrested for allegedly assaulting and abusing a young girl working as domestic help at their home.
The horrifying story of the child's horrific treatment came to light earlier this month when her parents admitted her to a Lahore hospital with significant bruises and claimed the judge's wife had severely tortured the youngster.
Somia and her legal team appeared before Additional District and Sessions Judge Farrukh Fareed today to have her bail request heard.
The defense lawyer opened the discussion by informing the court that Somia had asserted her innocence before the joint investigation team (JIT) that had been formed to look into the matter.
It should be mentioned that the suspect denied during the inquiry that the girl, Rizwana, had ever worked at her house. Instead, she claimed that she just gave the girl's parents Rs 60,000 in the form of financial support.
The defense lawyer insisted that Somia did not mistreat Rizwana in any way.
He stated that Somia sent the kid to her parents safely and asked the court to postpone its decision until the JIT's investigation was finished, which is anticipated to be completed by this evening.
The prosecution objected to the plea and asked the court to decide how to handle Somia's bail.
The court then ordered both parties to provide reasons in support and opposition of the bail plea.
Additionally, the court ordered the investigative officer to get the footage that the defense attorney had described, in which Somia is seen escorting Rizwana to the bus stop, where she will be sent back to her parents.
In its arguments, the prosecution insisted that they needed to find the "object" that Somia allegedly used to beat Rizwana in order to establish their case.
It was argued that obtaining such an item necessitated the arrest of Somia.
"There is still no justification for the bail extension. Judge Fareed instructed the prosecution to gather evidence honestly, saying that there shouldn't be any fear of learning the truth.
After hearing Somia's bail request, the court later issued an arrest warrant for her.
Somia Asim, the wife of civil judge Asim Hafeez, had obtained interim bail to avoid being arrested for allegedly assaulting and abusing a young girl working as domestic help at their home.
The horrifying story of the child's horrific treatment came to light earlier this month when her parents admitted her to a Lahore hospital with significant bruises and claimed the judge's wife had severely tortured the youngster.
Somia and her legal team appeared before Additional District and Sessions Judge Farrukh Fareed today to have her bail request heard.
The defense lawyer opened the discussion by informing the court that Somia had asserted her innocence before the joint investigation team (JIT) that had been formed to look into the matter.
It should be mentioned that the suspect denied during the inquiry that the girl, Rizwana, had ever worked at her house. Instead, she claimed that she just gave the girl's parents Rs 60,000 in the form of financial support.
The defense lawyer insisted that Somia did not mistreat Rizwana in any way.
He stated that Somia sent the kid to her parents safely and asked the court to postpone its decision until the JIT's investigation was finished, which is anticipated to be completed by this evening.
The prosecution objected to the plea and asked the court to decide how to handle Somia's bail.
The court then ordered both parties to provide reasons in support and opposition of the bail plea.
Additionally, the court ordered the investigative officer to get the footage that the defense attorney had described, in which Somia is seen escorting Rizwana to the bus stop, where she will be sent back to her parents.
In its arguments, the prosecution insisted that they needed to find the "object" that Somia allegedly used to beat Rizwana in order to establish their case.
It was argued that obtaining such an item necessitated the arrest of Somia.
"There is still no justification for the bail extension. Judge Fareed instructed the prosecution to gather evidence honestly, saying that there shouldn't be any fear of learning the truth.
After hearing Somia's bail request, the court later issued an arrest warrant for her.