# Supreme Court rules off-duty violence against wife is misconduct

> Supreme Court says civil servants who abuse spouses face service penalties even outside work hours.
- Title: Supreme Court rules off-duty violence against wife is…
- Summary: Supreme Court says civil servants who abuse spouses face service penalties even outside work hours. Pakistan's Supreme Court ruled that civil servants who…
- Keywords: supreme court, civil servant, misconduct, violence, wife, pakistan, intelligenc bureau, compulsory retirement, federal service tribunal, civil servants rules, news, Supreme
- Source: The Express Tribune — https://tribune.com.pk/story/2638426/off-duty-violence-against-wife-constitutes-misconduct-by-civil-servant-supreme-court
- Author: APP
- Published: 2026-11-03T08:45:54+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: supreme court, civil servant, misconduct, violence, wife, pakistan, intelligenc bureau, compulsory retirement, federal service tribunal, civil servants rules, news
## Supreme Court ruling
The Supreme Court ruled that serious misconduct by a civil servant in private life, including violence against his wife, could constitute service misconduct even outside office hours.
## Jawad Abbasi case
Jawad Abbasi, an Intelligence Bureau cook accused of setting his wife on fire, challenged compulsory retirement after departmental proceedings.
## Court's reasoning
The court observed that violence does not become private merely because it occurs within the home and that civil servants' conduct reflects on public office suitability.
## Departmental inquiry
The departmental inquiry examined 13 witnesses and found the employee attempted to frame his wife's death as suicide.
## Criminal vs departmental standards
An acquittal in criminal court does not automatically mean the employee is fit for government service under departmental rules.
## Court's decision
The Supreme Court dismissed the petition, upholding the compulsory retirement of Jawad Abbasi as proportionate to the misconduct.
## Key takeaway

Pakistan's Supreme Court ruled that civil servants who commit violence against their wives, even outside work hours, can be punished for misconduct under service rules.