ISLAMABAD – The Supreme Court (SC) has Friday set aside the extended three-year sentence against former additional district and sessions judge Raja Khurram Ali Khan and his wife Maheen Zafar in Tayyaba torture case.

The verdict was authored by Justice Mushir Alam, Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Yayha Afridi. The apex court maintained the one-year sentence against both convicts which was handed down by the trial court.

The apex court exercised special powers under Article 187 and issued a notice to the former judge and his wife stating that the convicts’ appeals are pending under section 328-A.

The top court ordered the Adiala Jail authorities to inform Raja Khurram Ali Khan and Maheen Zafar regarding the notice and directed the registrar office to fix the appeal for hearing.

Let it be known that the government had appealed to enhance the jail sentence of former judge and his wife. The Islamabad High Court (IHC) had extended the sentence from one to three years.

Case history

Minor girl Tayyaba was employed as a maid at the home of Raja Khurram Ali Khan in Islamabad where she was brutally tortured. The incident surfaced on December 27, 2016 and received widespread media coverage. The case was registered in I-9 police station.

On January 3, 2017, Tayyaba’s parents pardoned the judge and his spouse for the crime. After the news of the reconciliation was broadcasted on channels, the then Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar took suo motu notice of the incident and referred the case to the IHC.

Following Supreme Court’s orders, police recovered Tayyaba from the suburbs of Islamabad and presented her before the judges. Raja Khurram Ali Khan was barred from continuing his work on January 12, 2017 on court orders.