The Nashik Sessions Court on Monday heard the anticipatory bail application of Nida Khan, a key accused in the sexual harassment and alleged religious conversion case linked to the TCS BPO office in Nashik.
According to reports, the defence counsel sought interim relief for Khan, arguments on the application concluded, and the court's order is expected later in the day.
ALSO READ | What TCS Said About Nida Khan, Nashik Unit Shut Down Claims Amid 'Conversion' Row
Khan's lawyer, Advocate Baba Sayyad, has maintained that his client is being falsely framed. "If you look at the FIR, there are no mentions of forced religious conversion," Sayyad told media, adding that Khan cannot be accused of outraging the modesty of other women.
Khan moved the anticipatory bail application on Saturday, April 18, citing her two-month-old pregnancy, and stated that the charges invoked against her attract less than seven years of punishment.
Her whereabouts had been a point of controversy for days. Nida had been described as absconding for the past week, with her husband making contradictory statements to police regarding her location.
When questioned on April 17, her husband Moin Naveed Iqbal Khan said she had left home on April 14 and was living with a relative - but when investigators arrived, they found the home locked and both phones switched off.
Her family, however, denied she was on the run. Her maternal uncle said she had moved to Mumbai to stay with her husband after their 2025 marriage and was staying at home due to her pregnancy.
A suspension order dated April 9 revealed Khan's designation as Process Associate - not HR head, as had been widely reported in early coverage. The order directed her not to report to any TCS office or work remotely until further notice.
Meanwhile, a Special Investigation Team has been constituted as the case widened, with eight arrests made across nine FIRs tied to accusations of sexual harassment and coercive religious conversion within the Nashik office.
ALSO READ | TCS Clarifies On Nida Khan Amid Conversion Row: 'Neither HR Manager, Nor Responsible For Recruitment'
The group is accused of running a "gang-like" operation targeting young women aged 18 to 25, with complaints including religious harassment, forced conversion attempts, and coercion of Hindu employees to consume non-vegetarian food.
Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran termed the allegations "gravely concerning and anguishing" and announced an investigation under TCS's Chief Operating Officer Arathi Subramanian. TCS has said it found no complaints routed through its formal internal mechanisms prior to the FIRs.
Essential Business Intelligence, Continuous LIVE TV, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.
