NEW DELHI: A court on Saturday rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Nida Khan, a prime accused in the case of alleged sexual harassment and forcible religious conversion at the Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) unit in Maharashtra’s Nashik, after the prosecution stressed the need for her custodial interrogation. “The offense is a serious one. Nida Khan is one of the prime accused and therefore her custodial interrogation is necessary. The court rejected her bail application,” public prosecutor Ajay Misar told reporters, according to PTI. According to the FIR, Khan advised women employees to “dress and behave in accordance with Islamic traditions.” The petitioner, who is absconding, had sought pre-arrest bail citing her pregnancy. A search is underway for Khan in different parts of Maharashtra, police said. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Nashik Police is probing nine cases of alleged sexual harassment of female employees at the company’s Nashik unit by their male colleagues. The SIT has arrested eight persons, including a female operations manager, after registering nine FIRs. TCS it has long maintained a “zero-tolerance policy” towards harassment and coercion of any form.
