ISLAMABAD: The capital police have booked the wife of a civil judge involved in alleged torture on a 13-year-old maid with criminal intimidation and wrongful confinement, without mentioning physical torture on her in the FIR.

Police officers told Dawn that in a similar case of torture on a maid in 2016, the police had registered a case under section 342, 506 and 337 of the PPC.

The officers said the latest case was registered under section 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) and 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement) despite the fact that the complainant had categorically stated that the judge’s wife tortured his daughter daily and she had a number of injuries on her body.

Besides the complaint of Manga Khan, father of the maid, the police have also a medico-legal certificate which mentioned 15 injuries on the body of the girl, including marks of strangulation, but the suspect was not charged with the sections relevant to strangulation, torture and injuring.

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.”

Earlier, the Sargodha police provided the MLC of the girl and the complaint from her father to the capital police for registration of a case before Monday afternoon. However, the police were reluctant to register the case, the officers said, adding the Sargodha police also talked to the relevant officers of the capital police from the IGP to the SHO and the case was registered early on Tuesday.

Although the police registered a case, but investigation is yet to be started and so far no legal action has been initiated, the officers said. It is yet to be decided if the case will be investigated at the police station level or handed over to the investigation wing as it falls in the category of juvenile and child abuse.

The case was registered at the Humak police station in response to the complaint from the girl’s father, a labourer by profession. According to the FIR, he sent his daughter to the house of the judge at Zartaj Housing Society through an acquaint against Rs10,000 per month salary.

On July 23, he along with his wife and brother-in-law came to the judge’s house to meet his daughter and found her injured and weeping in a room, it added.

They found infected injuries on his head besides wounds all around the face, both arms and legs, the FIR said, adding her tooth was also found broken and swilling on both lips and eyes.

“Her ribs were also found broken, and injuries were found on her back. Marks of strangulation were also found around her neck.”

When asked, she told her family that the judge’s wife used to torture and beat her with baton and spoon daily and did not provide her dinner.

The girl was detained in a room since her arrival at the house. Later, the family took her to the Sargodha DHQ hospital where the girl’s condition deteriorated and was then referred to Lahore.

Despite repeated attempts, police officials concerned could not be contacted for comments.

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2023