The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday granted protective bail to Somia Asim, the wife of a civil judge, till August 1 in the maid torture case. Earlier, the petitioner along with her counsel appeared before Justice Farooq Haider for availing the protective bail. The counsel for the accused argued that Islamabad police had registered a case against his client on charges of torturing the maid. He submitted that the petitioner was eager to prove her innocence but feared arrest. He requested the court to grant protective bail to his client so that she could approach the relevant court. At this, the court accepted the request and granted protective bail to Somia Asim till August 1. Islamabad’s Humak police had registered a case against Somia Asim on the complaint of the victim’s father, Manga Khan. The complainant had accused Somia of torturing and keeping his 14-year-old daughter in illegal custody. The complaint was registered under sections 506 (criminal intimidation) and 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement) of the Pakistan Penal Code.