On 6th June, Nida Khan, a key accused in the TCS conversion scandal, was granted bail by the Nashik Road court along with co-accused Tausif Khan. Another co-accused, Danish Shaikh, was denied relief by the court.
Nida Khan was arrested on 7th May, almost one-and-a-half months after the FIRs were filed against the accused for sexual harassment and religious conversion of Hindu female employees at TCS Nashik. Earlier, her anticipatory bail plea was rejected by the court.
Additional Sessions Judge Kedar Joshi allowed Khan’s bail plea despite the Special Investigation Team’s (SIT) opposition. Speaking to the media, public prosecutor Jay Misar confirmed that bail had been granted. He added that the main ground on which Khan sought bail was her pregnancy.
Court rejected Danish Shaikh’s bail plea
According to a court document accessed by OpIndia, the court rejected Danish Shaikh’s bail plea and noted that the accusations against him appeared grave in nature. The court observed that the material on record showed prima facie involvement of the accused in the offences.
The court stated that considering the nature of punishment, the possibility of tampering with evidence, fleeing from justice, threatening witnesses and emotionally blackmailing them could not be ruled out. It also noted the emotional effect on the victim and the alleged influence exercised by the accused before refusing to enlarge Shaikh on bail.
The case was registered at Deolali Police Station in Nashik under the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the SC/ST Act.
What the FIR says
According to the FIR, between July 2022 and February 2026, Danish, Tausif and Nida hurt the complainant’s religious sentiments by making offensive remarks about Hindu deities. Danish has been accused of gaining the complainant’s trust by promising marriage and then establishing physical relations with her, despite already being married.
Tausif has been accused of molesting the complainant at the workplace and repeatedly demanding sexual favours. He allegedly threatened to tell her family about her physical relationship with Danish Shaikh.
The court order stated that Nida Khan, along with the co-accused, allegedly attempted to coerce the victim into religious conversion by instilling fear in her and repeatedly offending her religious sentiments. It further records that Nida and the other accused had allegedly provided a burqa to the victim to facilitate her conversion.
Role of Nida Khan in the case
According to the police and the material placed before the court, Nida Khan played an active role in influencing the complainant’s religious beliefs. Investigators said that Khan had shared Islamic religious material, including books, videos, YouTube links, Instagram links and reels, with the complainant.
The court order in Danish’s bail plea also recorded that Nida Khan had installed an Islamic religious application on the victim’s mobile phone with the specific intent of converting her religion. She is further accused of giving religious teachings to the complainant from time to time at her home and instructing her on how to perform namaz and how to wear a hijab and burqa.
The complainant had told investigators that she was repeatedly asked to watch videos of Pakistani cleric Tariq Jamil and speeches by controversial preacher Zakir Naik to influence her faith.
Police are also probing Khan’s Malaysia links. Investigators had said that she reportedly assured the complainant of helping her secure a job there. The court order also refers to allegations that Danish Shaikh and Tausif were planning to send the victim to a person named Imran in Malaysia.
Other accused in the case
Apart from Nida Khan, Danish Shaikh and Tausif Attar, the arrested accused in the case include Shafi Bikhan Sheikh, Raza Rafiq Memon, Shahrukh Qureshi and Asif Aftab Ansari. Raza Rafiq Memon, a team leader, has been accused of intimidating staff and making obscene remarks about female colleagues.
Senior employees have also been implicated in separate FIRs for alleged stalking, harassment and forced religious conversion attempts. The police also arrested Ashwini Chainani, an Operations Manager of the POSH Committee, for failure to address harassment complaints.
