PUNE, May 3 -- A Nashik court has rejected the anticipatory bail application of Nida Khan, a key accused in the TCS-linked BPO case. Khan is one of eight employees accused of sexual harassment and religious coercion at the workplace, and the only one absconding. On Saturday, the court of Additional Sessions Judge K G Joshi delivered its order after hearing defence and prosecution arguments on April 20 and April 27. Khan had filed an anticipatory bail application on April 18. Earlier, the court had refused to grant her interim relief. Khan's counsel Baba Sayeed said his client would move the Bombay High Court early next week to seek anticipatory bail. After the court pronounced its order, special public prosecutor Ajay Misar told the media in Nashik, "The offence is serious. Nida is a key accused and her custodial interrogation is necessary in the offence registered against her in the Devlali police station on March 26. She conspired with the other two accused in that case, and also helped them to commit the offence." Khan's counsel Baba Sayeed had argued that there is no provision in the BNS that criminalises religious conversion. "Moreover, Maharashtra does not currently have a dedicated anti-conversion law," Sayeed had told the court. Sayeed had also sought anticipatory bail for his client on grounds that she is pregnant. Nine employees of the BPO have lodged complaints against eight colleagues, including Khan, of sexual abuse, harassment and religious coercion. The Nashik police registered nine FIRs against the accused in the Devlali and Mumbai Naka police stations. Seven accused have been arrested, so far. The FIR against Khan was lodged by a woman employee, who also named two other employees - Danish Sheikh and Tausif Attar. She had accused Sheikh of raping her on the pretext of marriage, Attar of sexually harassing her, and Khan of hurting religious sentiments. During arguments in court, the prosecution accused Khan of changing the complainant's name to "Haniya", and instructing her on how to wear a hijab and offer namaz. While allegedly persuading the complainant to change her religion, Khan assured her of a job in Malaysia. In a separate but related development on Saturday, a Nashik Sessions Court extended the police remand of four accused in another case till May 5. A male employee of the BPO had accused Danish Sheikh, Tausif Attar, Shahrukh Qureshi and Raza Memon of allegedly forcing him to eat non-vegetarian food. Misar said the SIT required their custodial interrogation to investigate aspects such as potential funding for religious conversion, among other things....