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Court grants bail to Nida Khan (Img: Dynamite News)
Nashik: A special court in Maharashtra's Nashik has granted bail to Nida Khan, one of the accused in a religious conversion case, observing that no child should have to bear the trauma or stigma of being born in prison.
The court's order has drawn attention after it referred to Lord Krishna's birth while explaining the humanitarian grounds for granting relief to the five-month-pregnant accused.
Special Judge K.G. Joshi noted that Nida Khan is five months pregnant and said the welfare of her unborn child deserved consideration while deciding her bail plea.
In its order, the court observed that, like Lord Krishna, no child should have to experience the trauma or social stigma associated with being born inside a prison. The judge said judicial discretion should be exercised in favour of the accused to safeguard the well-being of the unborn child.
The observation was made solely in the context of humanitarian considerations and did not amount to any finding on the merits of the case.
Nida Khan was arrested nearly two months ago in connection with a religious conversion case linked to an IT company. According to the prosecution, she allegedly pressured a female colleague to convert to Islam and made derogatory remarks against Hindu deities.
Investigators have further alleged that she distributed burqas and religious books to colleagues and encouraged them to install religious applications on their mobile phones as part of efforts to promote religious conversion.
While granting bail, the court also took note of the fact that the investigation against Nida Khan has been completed and the chargesheet has already been filed.
The order noted that, unlike several other accused in the case, only one chargesheet has been filed against Khan in the FIR registered at the Deolali Camp Police Station.
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Meanwhile, seven other accused are facing multiple FIRs registered between March 26 and April 3 as part of the broader investigation.
The bail order has attracted public attention because the allegations against Nida Khan include making objectionable remarks about Hindu deities, including Lord Krishna.
However, the court's reference to Lord Krishna's birth was made only while discussing the welfare of the unborn child and explaining the humanitarian grounds for granting bail. It was not linked to the allegations or the merits of the criminal case.
The court clarified that granting bail does not determine the guilt or innocence of the accused. The criminal trial will continue, and the allegations against Nida Khan will be examined on the basis of evidence presented before the court.
