LAHORE: A model criminal court on Wednesday convicted a man for assaulting his wife and mother-in-law in a domestic abuse case. Judicial Magistrate Hamidul Rahman Nasir heard the case based on witness testimony, including that of the victims and police. The incident happened on April 2, 2021, at the man’s home in Shafiqabad police station area. The man pressured his wife to work. When she refused, he and family members beat her. Her mother and brother came after she called for help. During the fight, the man attacked his mother-in-law, tore her clothes, and beat her unconscious. Neighbours rescued the victims. The couple was married for one year and three months. The wife had given birth to a daughter three months earlier. The wife reported that abuse started two months after marriage, forcing her to stay at her parents’ home for eight months while receiving medical care. The defence claimed the police report was fake and pointed out missing Medical Legal Certificates. The prosecution explained hospital rules during the Covid-19 peak and police carelessness led to the missing documents. The court found the man guilty under Section 354 of the Pakistan Penal Code for assault aimed at outraging a woman’s modesty. The magistrate said small inconsistencies in witness statements were acceptable due to time passage. He also noted recent Supreme Court and Lahore High Court rulings that victims should not suffer due to police delays in filing reports. The court sentenced the man to three months of rigorous jail and fined him Rs1,500 for attacking his wife. For assaulting his mother-in-law, he got another three months and a Rs1,500 fine. Both sentences will be served together. After the verdict, the man was taken to district jail. Four other accused were cleared for lack of evidence. The case highlights a serious issue in Punjab, which saw over 15,000 violence and harassment cases against women in early 2025. According to the Sustainable Social Development Organisation, every day 85 women face violence in Punjab. On average, nine women are raped daily, 51 kidnapped, and 24 suffer domestic violence. The Supreme Court recently criticized society for forcing abused women to return to violent homes despite ongoing maltreatment.