Nashik TCS case: Employee accused of religious harassment seeks anticipatory bail, cites pregnancy

Nashik: A female employee of the TCS unit in Nashik, accused in a case related to alleged religious conversion and sexual harassment of some women colleagues at the office, on Saturday moved an anticipatory bail application, citing her two-month-old pregnancy.

The accused, identified as Nida Khan, stated that the charges invoked against her attract less than seven years of punishment.

Khan's plea will be heard by the Nashik sessions court on Monday.

Her lawyer denied the charges against Khan, saying she cannot be accused of outraging the modesty of other women.

Nashik Police Commissioner Sandip Karnik had said that Khan is accused in only one case of religious harassment at the IT firm unit.

TCS on Friday clarified that Khan is not an HR manager as being referred to in some reports, but a process associate and never held any leadership role.

A Nashik police Crime Branch team is currently stationed in Mumbra in Thane district to track down Khan, and questioned her husband on Friday, an official said.

Police sources had said that Khan's husband was questioned at his home about her whereabouts.

"The investigative team is following specific leads in Mumbra. We have information that the accused had shifted her base to evade arrest," a police officer said on Friday.

According to another official, her husband told the police his wife had gone to a relative's house.

However, when the police team reached the relative's residence, it was found locked. Also, the mobile phones of the accused and her relative were switched off, he said.

Police have so far arrested eight TCS employees -- seven men and a female operations manager at the unit.

The Nashik police have formed three teams to trace Khan. These teams have been dispatched to various places, and one of them landed in Mumbra, officials said.

The SIT is probing a total of nine cases registered in connection with the alleged exploitation, attempt of forceful conversion, hurting religious sentiments, molestation and mental harassment of female employees at the TCS unit.

TCS has clarified that it has adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards harassment and coercion of any form for a long time, and the employees allegedly involved in sexual harassment at the Nashik office have been suspended.

Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran had termed sexual harassment as “gravely concerning and anguishing”, and announced that a thorough internal investigation was underway to establish the facts and identify individuals responsible for the situation.

TCS on Friday said that it had not received any complaints through its internal channels on the matter.

According to a preliminary probe, the company was not in receipt of any complaints, as alleged, a statement said.

"A preliminary review of the systems and records pertaining to the Nashik unit indicates that we have not received any complaints of the nature that are being alleged on either our ethics or POSH (prevention of sexual harassment) channels," it said.

The country's largest IT services company also announced an oversight panel and engagement of external entities in its internal probe.