NASHIK: The 26-year-old woman employee accused in a “religious harassment” case at Tata Consultancy Services’ (TCS) Nashik office has moved the Nashik Road Sessions Court seeking anticipatory bail. Her lawyer Baba Sayyed told TOI on Saturday, “We have applied for the anticipatory bail plea of our client in the court of Nashik Road Sessions Judge Kedar Joshi.”The court will hear bail plea today. He, along with lawyer Rahul Kasliwal, said multiple grounds have been cited for relief. “One of the grounds is that she is not the main accused. Secondly, the punishment is up to three years in the case pertaining to hurting religious sentiments filed against my client. Hence, we have sought her pre-arrest bail.” “The other grounds are that the woman is pregnant, and also that there has been delay in filing the complaint against the accused,” Sayyed added.
NCW team visits Nashik, meets officials and complainants
A four-member fact-finding committee of the National Commission for Women (NCW) on Sunday concluded a two-day visit to Nashik to probe allegations of sexual harassment, rape and religious sentiment-related offenses at the TCS facility. The panel met senior TCS officials, Nashik Police Commissioner Sandeep Karnik, and complainants, and examined details of nine registered cases. “The committee has gathered all information related to the nine cases. The members interacted with the police and TCS officials as well as the complainants. I met the committee members today (Sunday) for discussions and sought guidance. All necessary compliances have been completed by us,” Karnik told TOI.
Multiple FIRs, arrests and allegations of coercion
The cases, registered between March 26 and early April, include allegations ranging from sexual harassment and rape to hurting religious sentiments at the TCS Nashik BPO unit. Police have arrested seven employees, including a senior officer holding the rank of assistant general manager (AGM). The allegations triggered wider concern after claims emerged of forced religious conversion of women employees by individuals in supervisory roles, prompting the NCW to take suo motu cognizance.
NCW probe panel begins detailed inquiry
The commission invoked powers under section 8 of the National Commission for Women Act, 1990, to form a fact-finding committee for a detailed investigation. The panel includes Justice (retired) Sadhna Jadhav of the Bombay High Court, former Haryana DGP BK Sinha, Supreme Court lawyer Monica Arora, and senior NCW coordinator Lilabati. The members visited Nashik on Friday and carried out inspections over the weekend, examining workplace conditions and alleged incidents.
Mandate to assess lapses and recommend action
The committee has been tasked with examining the sequence of events, reviewing the response of authorities, and identifying procedural lapses. It will also recommend action against those found responsible and suggest safeguards to prevent recurrence of such incidents at workplaces. The panel has been directed to submit its report within 10 working days.
