No POSH Complaints Received From Employees, Says TCS After Nashik Case

Nashik: As the investigation continues, IT giant Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) on Friday has clarified on the sexual harassment allegations related to its Nashik branch, saying that no formal complaint has been received through the company's Prevention of Sexual Harassment at Workplace (POSH) or Ethics channels between 2022 and 2026.

What did the TCS CEO say?

In a statement on Friday, TCS CEO and Managing Director, K. Krithivasan, said that an initial review of the Nashik unit's records and systems revealed no complaints matching these allegations. However, he also clarified that a detailed investigation is ongoing.

While issuing the statement, the CEO of the company said that, "While detailed reviews are still underway, a preliminary review of the systems and records pertaining to the Nashik unit indicates that we have not received any complaints of the nature that are being alleged on either our ethics or POSH channels."

What did the company say about Nida Khan?

While sharing details and designation about Nida Khan, who has been linked to the controversy regarding the company's Nashik unit and was reported to have worked as an HR manager, the statement stated that Nida Khan did not hold any leadership responsibilities in TCS.

The CEO said that Nida Khan served as a process associate and was not an HR manager or responsible for recruitment. 

Has TCS invited expert teams for investigation?

TCS has also announced that expert teams from Deloitte as well as Trilegal, a prominent law firm, have been engaged as independent counsel to aid an internal investigation by TCS President and COO Aarthi Subramanian. 

The independent investigation committee has been formed to strengthen the internal investigation into the Nashik case. The investigation is being led by Aarthi Subramanian. Additionally, an oversight committee has been formed, chaired by independent director Keki Mistry. The findings of the internal investigation will be presented to this committee, which will decide on further action.

What is the case?

The matter first came to light in March when a female employee working at TCS's BPO unit in Nashik filed a complaint. The allegation was that a colleague, Danish Sheikh, had entered into a relationship with her after promising marriage. 

During the investigation, police registered eight more cases of mental and sexual harassment between 2022 and 2026. These include allegations of alleged negligence by senior management and, in some cases, attempts at religious conversion. 

According to the police, this action was taken based on intelligence input. Several accused are currently in police custody, while one is absconding and a search is underway. Another accused has been sent to judicial custody for allegedly failing to act on employee complaints. The case is being investigated by a Special Investigation Team (SIT), led by Assistant Commissioner of Police (Crime) Sandeep Mitke.