Pregnant Nida Khan summoned by Nashik family court after husband seeks divorce
Nida Ejaz Khan, an accused in the alleged conversion conspiracy case at a Nashik company, is eight months pregnant and faces two criminal cases.
A family court in Nashik has summoned Nida Ejaz Khan, an accused in the alleged conversion and harassment case linked to the Nashik unit of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), after her husband petitioned for the end of their marriage. The court issued the summons on September 22 and has asked her to appear in person on October 16. The order says she or her lawyer must be present.
Khan is eight months pregnant. She was married two to three years ago. It is being said that her husband chose to seek a divorce because of the disrepute the criminal cases have brought and the pressure from society. Her married life is said to have been under strain since her name surfaced in the cases on March 26, when the police investigation and court proceedings began. Further proceedings on the divorce petition are expected to start on the day of the hearing.
Khan is named in two separate criminal cases. The first is registered at Deolali Camp police station on the complaint of a young woman working at the multinational company. It names Danish Shaikh, Tausif Attar, Nida Khan, Matin Patel, an AIMIM corporator from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and landlord Hanif Shaikh. The second is registered at Mumbai Naka police station on the complaint of a young man from the same company. It names Tausif Attar, Danish Shaikh, Shahrukh Qureshi and Raza Memon, along with Khan.
She was arrested during the investigation. The Nashik Road court and the Nashik district court have since granted her conditional bail in the two cases. While hearing her bail plea, the court had weighed the interest and human rights of her unborn child. It observed that a newborn should not have to face the environment of a jail, and cited the birth of Lord Krishna to stress how much a child's interest matters.
The allegations in the criminal cases have not been proven, the investigating agencies are still probing them, and court proceedings continue. The court has not ruled on those allegations, and no decision has been taken on the divorce petition either. The two are separate legal processes. The case drew wide discussion in Nashik when it came to light.
Attention now turns to October 16, when the family court will hear what position Khan or her lawyer takes, and what process it sets for the petition.
