Trauma of giving birth in jail not bearable: Court on bail to TCS staffer Nida Khan
A Nashik court has granted bail to Nida Khan, one of the accused in the alleged sexual exploitation and religious conversion case involving employees at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), observing that the trauma of giving birth in prison is unbearable for any woman.
In its detailed order, Additional Sessions Judge K G Joshi said judicial discretion should be exercised in favour of the pregnant accused to safeguard the welfare of both the mother and the unborn child.
"The trauma of giving birth in a prison... is not bearable for anyone. To avoid such an agonising situation and ensure the welfare of the newborn, it would be just and proper to grant bail," the court observed while allowing Khan's plea.
The court noted that Khan, who is around five months pregnant, had already been in custody for nearly two months. It also observed that the investigation had been completed and the charge sheet had been filed, making further custodial detention unnecessary.
However, the court also recorded that the investigation prima facie indicated Khan, along with co-accused, allegedly attempted to influence the complainant's ideological views and encourage religious conversion.
According to the order, investigators alleged that Khan participated in efforts to "brainwash" the victim by providing religious literature, a burqa, installing applications related to Islam on the victim's mobile phone, visiting her residence to teach her how to offer namaz, and showing her how to wear a hijab.
The prosecution opposed the bail plea, arguing that the investigation had uncovered evidence of sexual exploitation and religious coercion. It alleged that co-accused Danish Shaikh had provided the complainant with an Islamic book and a burqa with the intention of influencing her religious beliefs.
Khan's counsel argued that she had been falsely implicated in the case. The defence also submitted that she was a highly educated professional who had worked as an Associate at TCS before her services were terminated in April 2026.
The court granted Khan bail on a personal bond of Rs 75,000 with one solvent surety of the same amount.
The case is being investigated by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Nashik Police, which is probing nine FIRs related to allegations of sexual exploitation, attempted forced religious conversion, hurting religious sentiments, molestation and mental harassment of female employees at the TCS office in Nashik.
The present FIR, registered at Deolali Camp Police Station, invokes provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) relating to sexual intercourse by deceitful means, sexual harassment and outraging religious feelings, along with relevant provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, as the complainant belongs to a Scheduled Caste.
Following the allegations, TCS had stated that it follows a zero-tolerance policy towards harassment and coercion of any kind and confirmed that the employees accused in the case had been suspended pending investigation.
