Nashik TCS case: court rejects bail plea of main accused Danish Ejaz Shaikh

Danish Ejaz Shaikh, the main accused in the case linked to the BPO unit of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) in Nashik, has got no relief from the court. The Additional Sessions Court at Nashik Road on October 28 dismissed his bail petition. The case concerns alleged sexual harassment, hurting religious sentiments and forced conversion.

The accused faces several serious charges, including conspiring to convert a woman, sexual exploitation and caste-based insult. The case was registered in March 2026 at the Deolali Camp police station in Nashik under crime number 156/2026. According to the prosecution, the accused and two co-accused are charged with conspiring to convert a young woman.

The prosecution says the woman and the accused had known each other since their college days. It is alleged that the accused pressured her to follow religious practices. He is also alleged to have forced her to offer namaz, observe roza and wear the veil.

The accused is further alleged to have had a physical relationship with the woman on the promise of marriage while concealing that he had been married before. The alleged conspiracy to convert her and the charge of caste-based insult are also part of the same case.

At the hearing, the defence claimed that the accused and the woman had been in a consensual relationship since 2022. It said the investigation was complete and the accused had been in custody for more than seven months, so he should be granted bail. The defence also argued that two other co-accused in the case had already been granted bail. The public prosecutor and the woman both opposed bail.

The court examined the seized documents, religious books and the other evidence available. It also recorded that the authenticity of the WhatsApp chats produced by the defence had not been established. After going through the record and the circumstances, the court held that the evidence does not point only to a consensual romantic relationship. It also took into account the circumstances relating to the alleged pressure put on the woman by the accused.

Opposing the accused's release in court, the woman expressed fear for her life and safety. Advocate Milind Kurkute appeared for her. After considering the arguments of all sides and the record, the court rejected Shaikh's bail petition.

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) had been formed to investigate the case. The National Commission for Women (NCW) had also raised questions over compliance with the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) law at the workplace and alleged serious lapses. After the matter came to light, TCS suspended the employees accused and began an internal inquiry. Probes into the allegations of conversion, sexual exploitation and workplace harassment are continuing at different levels.