Daily Times

A civil judge at the lower court in Sindh has been accused of raping a woman on the pretext of ‘hearing’ her in his private chamber.

Following the incident, the Sindh High Court has suspended the senior judicial magistrate in Sehwan on Saturday after a complaint filed by the woman.

Meanwhile, SHC Chief Justice Ahmed Ali Sheikh has ordered an official inquiry into the matter.

The rape allegations first came forward after the judicial magistrate took up the case of the woman who had eloped with a man to Sehwan. The couple from Shahdadkot had eloped after facing resistance from their family against their marriage.

On January 13, the couple’s relatives arrived at the guest house in Sehwan, but the matter was eventually taken to Sehwan police who took the couple into custody.

However, Dr Arfana Mallah, a women’s rights activist, shared details of the case with The Express Tribune. According to her, the woman, S*, was residing at a guesthouse in Sehwan when police raided it and arrested her and her companion.

“She left her home to get married to the man who was with her at the guesthouse,” narrated Dr Mallah, explaining that the police brought the couple before Bhutto for their statements. “The judge ordered the police and his staff to leave the courtroom. She came out of his chamber crying and told her family that the judge had raped her.”

Later, in her complaint to the police, the woman alleged that the judicial magistrate sexually assaulted her after directing the lady police officers accompanying her to leave his chambers.