Hearing on bail application of TCS AGM adjourned

Nashik: The court of an additional sessions judge in Nashik on Tuesday kept the matter of the bail application of a TCS woman officer, a co-accused in a case of sexual harassment and religious coercion, for May 11.The TCS assistant general manager (delivery partner) faced charges of abetting sexual harassment of a woman staffer by two of the six arrested TCS employees, by ignoring the staffer's complaint.A special investigation team arrested the 51-year-old AGM, who was also a member of the company's POSH (Prevention of Sexual Harassment) committee, from her Pune residence on April 10. She was in police custody till April 15, after which she was remanded in judicial custody. The accused officer filed her bail application.Defence lawyer V R Deshpande said the sessions court adjourned the hearing for May 11. "While the investigating officer in the case has given his say with respect to the bail application of our client, we will be submitting our argument at the next hearing."Public prosecutor Ajay Misar also told TOI that the hearing was adjourned.Meanwhile, a magisterial court on Tuesday remanded in judicial custody four other TCS employees arrested by the SIT probing cases of sexual harassment and hurting religious sentiments.Defence counsel advocate Baba Sayyad confirmed the judicial custody. He added that the accused people also applied for bail, and their hearing on the same would be on May 11.The four accused were arrested on April 23 after being transferred from judicial custody in other cases. They were booked by the Mumbai Naka police under BNS sections 75 (sexual harassment), 79 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), 299 (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings) and 302 (uttering words with deliberate intent to wound religious feelings). Their custodial remand was extended twice, which ended on Tuesday.