Nashik, July 9 -- A Nashik court has granted bail to pregnant accused Nida Khan in a case involving alleged sexual harassment and religious conversion at a TCS office, observing that forcing a woman to give birth in prison would cause unbearable trauma. In a detailed order made available on Thursday, Additional Sessions Judge K G Joshi said, "The trauma of giving birth in a prison like Lord Krishna or the related social stigma is not bearable for anyone." The court, while noting that Khan was five months pregnant, said judicial discretion should be exercised in her favour for the welfare of both the mother and the unborn child. Bail had been granted on July 6. The court directed Khan's release on a personal bond of Rs 75,000 with one solvent surety of the same amount. It also noted that the investigation was complete and the charge sheet had already been filed, making further custody unnecessary.
At the same time, the judge observed that the FIR and investigation attributed a clear role to Khan. According to the probe, she and co-accused allegedly tried to brainwash the victim, persuade her to change her religious beliefs, and claimed there were objectionable stories in Hinduism. Investigators alleged Khan gave the victim a burqa and religious literature, installed Islamic applications on her phone, taught her namaz at her home and showed her how to wear a hijab.
Defence lawyer Rahul Kasliwal argued that Khan, a former TCS associate dismissed in April 2026, was innocent and had been falsely implicated. Prosecutors Vijay Gaikwad, along with lawyers Milind Kurkute and Nitin Pandit for one of the victims, opposed bail, alleging evidence pointed to sexual exploitation and attempts at religious conversion.
The case is among nine being investigated by a Nashik police SIT into alleged exploitation, forced conversion attempts, molestation and harassment of women employees. TCS has said it follows a zero tolerance policy against harassment and has suspended employees allegedly involved.mpost
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.