Dear reader, online ads enable us to deliver the journalism you value. Please support us by taking a moment to
Punishments handed to judge, wife suspended in Tayyaba torture case
A division bench of the Islamabad High Court on Monday suspended the one-year jail sentences handed to a judge and his wife in the Tayyaba torture case, which had captured the country's attention in late December 2016.
The IHC had last week sentenced additional district and sessions judge (ADSJ) Raja Khurram Ali Khan and his wife Maheen to one year each in prison and ordered them to pay a fine of Rs50,000 each for keeping the then 10-year-old child maid Tayyaba in wrongful confinement, burning her hand over a missing broom, beating her with a ladle, detaining her in a storeroom, and threatening her of "dire consequences".
The statements of a total of 19 prosecution witnesses were recorded during the course of the proceedings, including that of Tayyaba's parents.
Following the sentencing, the court approved their bail applications against surety bonds of Rs50,000. The convicts were given seven days to appeal against the verdict.
Raja Khurram and Maheen challenged the sentences through their lawyers Raja Rizwan Abbasi and Advocate Sohail Warraich who were present in court today before a two-judge division bench comprising justices Athar Minallah and Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb.
The bench subsequently suspended the sentences and adjourned the case until the second week of May.
Suo motu notice
The case of Tayyaba, a young domestic worker at the home of ADSJ Khan and his wife Maheen, first came to light after photos of the tortured child began circulating on social media.
Read: Tayyaba was definitely tortured, says Pims head
Tayyaba was rescued from their residence with visible wounds on December 28, 2016 and a first information report was filed against her employers a day later.
Khan reached a compromise with Tayyaba's parents on Jan 2, 2017, and a day later the child was handed over to her parents. On Jan 4, however, the apex court took suo motu notice of the matter, saying: "No 'agreements' can be reached in matters concerning fundamental human rights."
The Supreme Court in a hearing on Jan 11 then observed that the role of a lawyer, Raja Zahoor Hassan, was of key interest with regards to an 'illegitimate compromise' reached between the suspects and the child’s family.
CJP Nisar had insisted there was no doubt that a criminal act had been committed in the case and directed police to investigate the preparation of the compromise deed as well as matters related to internal trafficking of child labourers.
After the police in their report had focused only on the child's abuse and the possible involvement of the suspects, the SC expressed displeasure with the investigation of the case and referred it back to the IHC for further deliberation.
Comments (39) Closed
2016 case!! lazy broken justice ...
here we go call justice...
Justice denied to poor and the rich and powerful given relief.
2016? Wow ... fast justice system
Just one year for such a huge crime.. unbelievable
So the Justice is done for the honorable Judge. Tayyaba is reborn.
Rs. 50,000 is nothing nowadays. They should have been fined at least Rs 5 million with one year in jail. Common CJ, what is going on under your nose?
When finally a poor and common citizen will get justice.?? It is a black dot on the name and honor of the Pakistan.
All perpetrators are destined to be accountable sooner or later , in this world or hereafter.
Dear Pakistanis get ready to hear the same in the cases of ex-pm.This is to prepare your minds in advance.
so it proves that status queue cannot be broken in Pakistan.
Justice is beyond the reach of the poor.
Now back to squire one. This is our story
Where is the CJ now?
@Rubina when they hear nothing they don't have to prepare for a thing..
@jaredlee67 To be honest an even a suspended sentence marks the beginning of new era. Hopefully things will further improve in future and just hope that such crimes will eventually end if the society contnue to play its role.
I think the legal process is being followed suspension of sentence is not same as pardoning of the criminals.
Quick hearing and a quick decision to suspend imprisonment!
It would be a travesty of justice if they were let off. Lenient treatment only because he's a judge? Is it justice? Why bail was accepted straightaway? Does it normally happen in cases of other criminals?
And the law of the land will always be different for the rich man.
Justice for poor is different to elites.....will cjp investigate ?
@Am shame, poor child’s life valued so little. It should be 5 to 10 years. Are judges are looking after their people.
@jaredlee67 that is 50,000 for each crime committed not for all crimes. Although 5 million sounds more apt for all the crimes they committed against the poor girl.
But CJ is going around trying to fix other institutions while his own is rusted and broken to core. The day pakistani learn to do there job and not try to tell other people do there job we would make progress.
Amazing an inniocent is burned and beaten, all the proofs are there but the punishment suspended, ultimate nepotism.
And people were celebrating the verdict last week, little they knew that in Pakistan law is different for the elite class. Shame on everyone
This is sick and revolting, how the evil torturer wife Maheenof the ADSJ judge Khan is being allowed to get away with the crime against Tayebba. The punishment for criminal judges and lawyers should be MORE than double that of of laypersons because of their duty to uphold the law. Instead their sentences are being Mus which is unacceptably outrageous. Is the CJP taking notice of the shenanigans of the lower courts? He must put his own house in order first or risk losing credibility.
Its never too late, I'm just disappointed that they didn't get 10 years in prison.
Justice to the poor girl has been basically denied. The society without justice is bound to perish
ten years of abuse deseves a 10 year sentence, one year is a joke.
50 percent of their assets and income appropriate, not 50000. the servant child deserves proper restitution, although the trauma is for life.
Shameful
should be heavily fined and the money should be given to the girl and her family. that would actually help them
Forcing them to pay for the education up to the university level and all expenses for the upkeep of Ms.Tayyaba till then would have been the innovative positive constructive punishment for these people and their inhuman crime.
I am disappointed with the 'suspension' of the sentence (of course we all expected something like this to happen - you can't possibly punish those in power, not in Pakistan). However, the satisfaction remains that I can refer to this evil couple as criminals! So Raja Khurram Ali Khan and his wife Maheen are criminals - whether or not they actually spend time in jail! I bet they will think twice before taking such liberties against the powerless in future!
Hats off to the honourable CJP for taking suo moto action in Tayyaba case. CJP should keep an eye on this case till it reaches its logical conclusion. Protection of underage poor female domestics is the correct priority for CJP rather than inspecting the heaps of garbage in big cities.
12 months is not even close to long enough for such horrendous child abuse, and suspending it is a complete travesty of justice.
Sentence suspended!!! I am sure that even after all this suo moto and two years of hearings our law would not be able to put the culprits behind the bars.
How many years shall it further take to punish the culprits? Do not deprive poor of justice.This will create anarchy
Shameful. If cases are decided based on bias and discrimination, there will be chaos. The CJ should also take notice of such actions and the corrupt judges should also be punished.