The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Tuesday awarded one-year imprisonment and Rs 50,000 fine each to former additional district and session judge Raja Khurram and his wife Maheen Zafar in a case related to the torture against minor girl Tayyaba.
Justice Aamer Farooq of IHC issued the written judgment comprising 21 pages that was earlier reserved in this case on March 27, 2018 after conclusion of arguments from both sides.
The order stated that the evidence in this case reflected that the accused deliberately demonstrated negligence in matter of minor girl. The prosecution had proved its case without any ambiguity against the nominated accused under section 328-A PPC.
It further added that Raja Khurram and his wife Maheen Zafar were completely responsible for taking care of minor girl. The media had no bearing on trial process, the order added.
The court, however, acquitted the accused in an allegation regarding disappearing of victim girl Tayyaba.
Meanwhile, the IHC’s same bench had approved the bail of Raja Khurram and Maheen Zafar for one-week on a application filed by the accused who took the stance in their plea that they wanted to file an appeal with the SC against the decision of trial court.
The petitioner’s counsel Rizwan Abbasi and Sohail Warraich appeared before the the bench and took the stance that the bail could be granted to the accused if the imprisonment period would be less than one year and it was also the basic right of their clients.
After hearing the arguments, the court granted one-week bail to the both accused against surety bonds worth Rs 50,000.
It may be mentioned here that Police Station I-9 had registered the first information report (FIR) against the accused on December 29, 2016.
The Supreme Court had stopped Raja Khurram from working as judge in lower court on January 12, 2017 and shifted the case to IHC for trial.
The IHC indicted the both accused on May 16, 2017. The trial court had testified a total of 19 witnesses in the case including 11 government employees and eight other people.
