A Nashik sessions court on Monday (July 6) granted bail to Nida Khan, an accused in the TCS-related BPO sexual abuse and religious conversion case, nearly two months after her arrest. According to PTI, Additional Sessions Judge KG Joshi of the Nashik Road Court passed the order in connection with a case registered at the Deolali Camp Police Station. The court also granted bail to co-accused Tausif Attar, while rejecting the bail plea of Danish Shaikh. Khan, who worked as a telecaller at the TCS Nashik BPO unit, was arrested on May 7 after evading arrest for 42 days and has been in judicial custody since then. As confirmed by Misar, the judge pronounced the order today and allowed her bail plea, with one of the main grounds being her pregnancy. The court has not commented on the merits of the allegations, which remain the subject of investigation.
The allegations surfaced earlier this year after many female employees at a BPO unit in Nashik affiliated with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) accused coworkers and managers of sexual harassment, sexual assault, and coercion related to religious conversion. As reported by The Times of India, these serious allegations have created significant concerns within the company's operations. In response to the complaints, Nashik Police established a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to look into the claims and filed several FIRs in March and April 2026. The case stems from a complaint filed by a female employee, who alleged that Khan had hurt her religious sentiments and attempted to influence her to embrace a different faith. The complainant also accused her of sexual harassment. Investigators have alleged that Khan played a role in the religious conversion aspect of the case, with one complainant accusing her of hurting religious sentiments and attempting to influence religious beliefs.
During the investigation, the SIT allegedly found that Khan had shared Islamic religious material, including books and videos, with the complainant. Police are also examining her reported links in Malaysia after allegations that she had offered to help the complainant secure employment there. According to PTI, the complainant alleged that Khan introduced her to Islamic teachings through videos of Pakistani cleric Tariq Jamil and speeches by controversial preacher Zakir Naik. The prosecution had opposed Shaikh's bail pleas, arguing that evidence collected during the probe pointed to sexual exploitation and efforts at religious coercion. According to the prosecution, Shaikh allegedly gave the complainant an Islamic religious book and a burqa with the intention of influencing her religious beliefs, and attempted to convert the woman despite being aware that she belonged to a Scheduled Caste community. The prosecution further contended that the accused acted in concert and that their release on bail could result in tampering with evidence, influencing witnesses and posing a threat to the complainant's safety.
The arrested accused include Mohammad Danish Sheikh (booked for allegedly luring a victim under the false promise of marriage and pressured others into religious practices), Shafi Bikhan Sheikh, Raza Rafiq Memon (team leader accused of intimidating staff and making obscene remarks about female colleagues), Tausif Attar, Shahrukh Qureshi, and Asif Aftab Ansari (Senior employees implicated in various FIRs for alleged stalking, harassment, and forced religious conversion attempts). Ashwini Chainani, an Operations Manager of the POSH Committee, was also arrested for alleged failure to address harassment complaints. TCS had earlier suspended employees named in the case and launched an internal inquiry, stating that it follows a zero-tolerance policy towards misconduct and is cooperating with law enforcement agencies. The investigation has led to the arrest of multiple accused in recent months, with the SIT continuing to examine digital evidence, witness statements and other material collected during the probe.
The case forms part of a broader investigation by a Special Investigation Team, which is probing nine cases arising from allegations of exploitation, attempted forced religious conversion, hurting religious sentiments, molestation and mental harassment of employees at TCS's Nashik unit. A Nashik court on May 11, remanded Nida Khan to judicial custody till May 24. Recently, a fact-finding committee constituted by the National Commission for Women (NCW) has flagged what it described as a "deeply disturbing and toxic workplace environment" at the Nashik office of Tata Consultancy Services, citing allegations of sexual harassment, systemic bullying, religious denigration, and abuse of authority against women employees. The case arises out of an FIR registered at the Deolali Camp police station on March 26 under Sections 69 (sexual intercourse by employing deceitful means), 65 (sexual harassment) and 299 (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, besides provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The SIT's investigation is still underway, and the allegations against the accused are yet to be tested in court.
