Pregnant Ex-TCS Employee Nida Khan Gets Bail in Conversion Case
A Nashik court granted bail to Nida Khan, observing that the trauma of childbirth in prison is unbearable for any woman while hearing her plea in the religious conversion case.
A court in Maharashtra's Nashik has granted bail to Nida Khan, a former Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) employee arrested in connection with an alleged religious conversion case, observing that compelling a pregnant woman to give birth in prison would subject her and her child to avoidable trauma and stigma.
Additional Sessions Judge K.G. Joshi of the Nashik Road court, in an order made available on Thursday, said, "The trauma of giving birth in a prison like Lord Krishna or the related social stigma is not bearable for anyone."
The judge further observed that, "To avoid such an agonising situation and for the welcome and overall welfare of the newborn baby, it would be just and proper to exercise judicial discretion in favour of the applicant-accused."
The court noted that Khan is five months pregnant and held that her continued detention was unnecessary as the investigation had been completed and the charge sheet had already been filed.
Khan was arrested on May 7 from a rented flat in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar after allegedly evading arrest for nearly 25 days. She was subsequently dismissed from TCS after being named in the case.
She had sought bail primarily on the grounds of her pregnancy, arguing that continued incarceration would adversely affect both her health and that of her unborn child.
The prosecution opposed the plea. Public Prosecutor Vijay Gaikwad, along with advocates Milind Kurkute and Nitin Pandit, appearing for one of the alleged victims, contended that the investigation had revealed sufficient evidence of sexual assault and religious coercion. They urged the court to reject the bail applications of both Khan and co-accused Danish Shaikh.
After considering the submissions, the court granted bail to Khan on July 6, while noting that the allegations against the accused would be examined during the trial.
The case relates to an alleged religious conversion racket under investigation in Maharashtra. The charges against the accused remain allegations, and their guilt or innocence will be determined during the course of the trial.
