ISLAMABAD (Report: Rana Masood Hussain): The Supreme Court has ruled that violence against women within the four walls of a home is not merely a private family matter but also raises questions about the state's constitutional responsibility.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Ayesha A. Malik and Justice Shahid Waheed dismissed an appeal filed by Jawad Abbasi, a former cook at the Intelligence Bureau, challenging his compulsory retirement.

The 10-page judgment, authored by Justice Shahid Waheed, stated that women are entitled to the same constitutional protection inside their homes as they enjoy in public spaces.

According to the case details, a criminal case was registered against Abbasi in May 2022 over allegations that he set his wife on fire and attempted to portray the incident as suicide. The allegations were also established during a departmental inquiry, following which he was compulsorily retired on June 14, 2024.

The decision was upheld by the Federal Service Tribunal and subsequently by the Supreme Court.

After being acquitted by a criminal court on the benefit of doubt, Abbasi challenged the compulsory retirement order. However, the Supreme Court rejected his argument that the matter concerned his private domestic life.

The court observed that a person who abuses his wife and violates her dignity at home fails to meet the ethical standards expected of a civil servant. Misconduct by a government employee is not limited to office hours, as criminal behaviour in private life can also damage an institution's reputation and public trust.

The judgment further clarified that acquittal by a criminal court on the benefit of doubt does not automatically result in exoneration in departmental proceedings and cannot be treated as a certificate of good character.

The court observed that subjecting a woman to violence and then blaming her for suicide amounts to double wrongdoing and hypocrisy.

The Supreme Court concluded that the Intelligence Bureau had followed the applicable legal requirements and principles of natural justice before removing Abbasi from service.