A Nashik court on Saturday rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Nida Ejaz Khan, one of the accused in the TCS Nashik BPO religious conversion and sexual harassment case.

Additional Sessions Judge KG Joshi heard the Special Investigation Team (SIT) and Khan’s counsel during in-camera proceedings on April 27 and passed an order today.

The Court rejected her plea and refused to grant any protection from arrest.

The case involves allegations that several accused sexually harassed women employees and attempted religious conversion. Eight persons, including an operations manager, have been named in multiple FIRs registered at Deolali and Mumbai Naka police stations.

The complaints allege sexual harassment, threats, public humiliation, adverse workplace reports, and remarks hurting religious sentiments. Khan remains the only accused yet to be arrested and she has, among other things, been accused of making derogatory references to Hindu deities.

Khan, through advocates Rahul Kasliwal and Baba Sayyad, sought anticipatory bail citing her pregnancy and delay in lodging of the first information report (FIR).

Her plea for interim anticipatory bail was earlier rejected by the judge on April 20.

Kasliwal argued that Maharashtra has no specific law criminalising forced religious conversion and that the prosecution had not clearly invoked provisions under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

He submitted that the case primarily concerns allegations of hurting religious sentiments and highlighted the absence of a central law on forced conversions.

He also cited a Supreme Court ruling to argue that multiple FIRs arising from the same incident should be investigated together.

Special Public Prosecutor Ajay Misar presented case records and police diaries, alleging a planned conspiracy targeting a woman from a backward community.

The prosecution claimed the victim was shown religious material, encouraged to adopt Islamic practices and lured with promises linked to Malaysia.

The State was represented by SPP Misar and prosecutors including Kiran Bendbhar and Reshma Jadhav.