Somia Asim’s bail application rejected by Islamabad Court judge Farrukh Fareed in a case related to brutal torture of a teenage girl Rizwana

ISLAMABAD, Aug 7 (SABAH): Additional District and Sessions Judge Islamabad Farrukh Fareed on Monday rejected Somia Asim’s bail application in a case related to the brutal torture of a teenage girl Rizwana employed as a domestic worker at her residence and ordered her arrest.

The suspect was subsequently taken into custody by Islamabad police from the court’s premises.

Upon the expiry of her pre-arrest bail, Somia Asim appeared before Additional District and Sessions Judge Farrukh Fareed. 

During hearing, police submitted the case record while the lawyer representing the teenage victim, Rana Adil Imdad, was also present.

Somia’s lawyer Nazar Niazi said that in the police record, officials wrote that the accused Somia Asim did not inflict torture. She repeatedly asked to send the maid back.

Niazi contended that the investigating officer had not probed all aspects of the case and asked if the police had obtained the footage of the crime scene. For his part, the lawyer said that the first five lines of the case were based on lies. To that, Judge Baloch remarked that he would only hear arguments on the suspect’s bail plea.

Judge Farrukh Fareed further remarked that the accused has to be made part of investigation at all costs and furthered “None of your arguments are sufficient for an extension in [Somia’s] bail.”

Somia’s lawyer went on to argue that his client should only be sent to jail once the JIT declared her guilty. But the judge asserted that it was not possible to adjourn the hearing until the special investigation team concluded its probe and asked the counsel to continue his arguments on the bail application.

Here, Niazi again asked if investigators had acquired the video of the crime scene, claiming that a three-hour clip of the victim at a bus stop was available. He also expressed fears that the data memory of the camera which contained the said video would run out in a day.

Subsequently, the court ordered the investigating officer (IO) to obtain the video, with Judge Baloch saying that the police were responsible for collecting evidence from both sides. The video of the teenage maid was then played in the courtroom on a laptop.

Here, plaintiff’s counsel Imdad argued that no one, including the court, could dictate the investigation officer and asked on what basis was Somia seeking an extension in her bail. He further said it would create bad impression in the society and argued that Rizwana had 14 injuries on her body which should be investigated so her arrest was required.

However, the court rejected her bail application in the case and ordered her arrest. After the court’s order, Islamabad Police arrested her within the premises of court.