SC reduces judge, wife's jail sentence in Tayyaba torture case

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Friday announced its reserved verdict on appeals moved by former additional district and sessions judge Raja Khurram Ali Khan and his wife Maheen Zafar in the Tayyaba torture case.

Justice Ijazul Ahsan of the apex court read out the judgement, annulling the Islamabad High Court (IHC) verdict that had enhanced both convicts‘ prison sentence from one year to three years with a Rs500,000 fine.

The top court upheld the trial court’s ruling of sentencing the judge and his wife to one year in jail for keeping the then 10-year-old Tayyaba in wrongful confinement, burning her hand, beating her with a ladle and detaining her in a storeroom.

Meanwhile, the SC while exercising special powers under Article 187 issued a notice to the convicts on an appeal by the government seeking to enhance their jail sentence. Both convicts’ appeals under section 328-A are pending disposal, it said.

The apex court directed the Adiala Jail administration to inform both the inmates about the notice. The court registrar was instructed to fix the appeal for hearing.

A three-judge bench headed by Justice Mushir Alam had reserved its judgement last year in May after hearing all sides.

Both convicts had appealed against the Islamabad High Court (IHC) verdict enhancing their jail time from one year to three years with a Rs500,000 fine.

In January 2018, the pictures of the then 10-year old housemaid, Tayyaba had gone viral on social media with internet users claiming that the maid works at additional session judge Khurram Ali Khan’s house, was severely tortured by the family of the judge.

The apex court had taken suo motu notice of the case of alleged torture on the girl and constituted a division bench for hearing of the case.