Accused judge gets bail in maid torture case

A local court on Monday granted pre-arrest bail to judge Raja Khurram Ali Khan in the Tayyaba torture case until January 26.

The judge, who was made an OSD by the Islamabad High Court, is accused of violating Section 328 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) which is about the exposure and abandonment of a child under twelve years by parents or persons having care of it. Parents of the minor maid were also accused under this offence by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) for forcing an innocent girl to work as bonded labour.

Surrendering himself to Additional and Sessions Judge Raja Asif Mehmood, the accused pleaded for anticipatory bail, a request the court granted against the surety of Rs30, 000 and asked him to appear again on January 26.

Meanwhile, another departmental inquiry will be carried out into the Tayyaba torture case against Additional District & Sessions Judge Raja Khurram Ali Khan, who is now made an officer on special duty (OSD).

According to details, Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) will be the inquiry officer of the case.

The inquiry commission will summon Raja Khurram for questioning over hiring a 10-year-old maid.

Prior to this, a confidential inquiry was carried out against Raja Khurram over the directives of IHC Chief Justice Muhammad Anwar Khan Kasi. A report of the inquiry was sent to the chief justice in a sealed envelope, but it has not been brought to the fore yet.