Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar/Mumbai: In the aftermath of the arrest of prime accused and mastermind absconder Nida Khan in the Nashik TCS religious conversion and harassment case, AIMIM leader Imtiaz Jaleel has strongly defended Nida Khan while she was hiding from the police and evading arrest, similarly, he is now defending her ‘legal rights’ while pushing back against mounting political allegations.
Imtiaz Jaleel, a senior leader of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and a prominent face of his party in Maharashtra, is a former Member of Parliament (MP) who represented Aurangabad (now Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar) in the Lok Sabha.
Nida Khan, considered the mastermind and prime accused in the TCS coercion and religious harassment case, was on the run for over a month and was arrested by a joint police team on Thursday (May 7) from an isolated house in the Naregaon locality of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar after days of surveillance.
Matin Majeed Patel, the AIMIM corporator of Naregaon, has now been made a co-accused by Maharashtra Police in the TCS case for aiding and abetting absconder Nida Khan’s evasion of law.
Make Imtiaz Jaleel A Co-Accused In The TCS Case: Shirsat
Nida Khan’s arrest triggered a sharp political exchange, with Maharashtra Minister Sanjay Shirsat accusing AIMIM functionaries of sheltering the absconding accused and demanding that AIMIM leader Imtiaz Jaleel, who had earlier, in his speeches, defended Nida Khan and is also known to promote AIMIM’s Matin Majeed Patel, be made a co-accused in the case.
Hailing from the Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena, Shirsat is a Cabinet Minister in the Maharashtra government and represents the Aurangabad (West) constituency (now officially Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar) as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA).
“Nida Has the Right to Approach Higher Courts,” Says Jaleel
Responding to the allegations, Jaleel alleged that Nida was being hounded disproportionately and said the media must remember that the accusations against Khan remain unproven.
“This child (Jaleel refers to Nida Khan as ‘bachchi’) was not granted bail in the lower court. She has the right to approach the High Court. If she is rejected in the High Court, she can approach the Supreme Court. This is her right. There are just allegations against her,” Jaleel said while speaking to the media.
He further stated that any grievance against him should be formally taken up with authorities rather than aired through public accusations.
“If he (Shirsat) has a complaint, he should go to the Police Commissioner or the Chief Minister and seek an investigation. If found guilty, I should be punished,” he added.
On Allegations Against AIMIM Corporator
Addressing reports that AIMIM corporator Mateen Majid Patel from Naregaon had been booked for allegedly harbouring Khan, Jaleel struck a cautious tone, saying he would first verify details with the police.
He reiterated his broader stance on the legal rights of the accused:
“An accused person has every right to bail unless a serious crime like terror, robbery, or murder is proven. Right now, there are only allegations. We are not supporting wrongdoing, but we believe the law must take its course.”
In a pointed remark, he added that his position would remain unchanged regardless of the accused’s identity. “If it had been a Nisha Patil or Nita Deshpande or or Nancy Fernandes instead of Nida Khan, my stand would have been the same,” Jaleel added in dramatic fashion.
#WATCH | Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra | On Naregao corporator of AIMIM, Mateen Majid Patel, booked by the Nashik Police for harbouring Nida Khan, accused in the TCS case, AIMIM leader Imtiaz Jaleel says, "I need to get all the information from the police about what was… pic.twitter.com/NRg3mdcT9u
— ANI (@ANI) May 8, 2026
Earlier Remarks During Khan’s Absconding Phase
That Jaleel’s close aide has been found to have been sheltering the accused that the state police were so publically looking for, is no surprise, really, say sources. Notably, Jaleel had also drawn attention earlier when Khan was on the run, evading arrest. In a public address, he criticised what he described as excessive targeting of the accused, comparing it to the treatment meted out to terror suspects.
He had said that the manner in which Khan was being “hounded” and labelled an absconder was disproportionate, and publicly assured support to her family.
“I met family members of Nida Khan and assured them that their brother (Imtiaz Jaleel) is here, and he is with them anytime they want,” Jaleel had stated.
Do you know where Nida Khan was all these 25 days?
Initially, she was hiding in Malegaon, then in Mumbra, and yesterday she was arrested from Sambhaji Nagar.
I am sharing a video of AIMIM leader Imtiaz Jaleel. He is saying, “I met family members of Nida Khan and assured them… pic.twitter.com/pOQz0hpU1O
— Subhi Vishwakarma (@subhi_karma) May 8, 2026
Political Row Intensifies
Meanwhile, Shirsat has alleged that the case points to a wider network involving forced conversions and exploitation, and has called for a deeper probe into possible links. He has also claimed that AIMIM leaders extended support to Khan during her time in hiding.
The Nashik Police have booked multiple individuals in the case, including those accused of aiding Khan while she was absconding. Khan herself has been remanded to police custody as investigations continue.
So far, the Nashik TCS case has seen nine arrests, including key accused Nida Khan and several TCS employees, as part of the ongoing Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe. Authorities have registered a total of nine FIRs linked to allegations of sexual harassment, religious coercion, and related offences—eight at Mumbai Naka Police Station and one at Devlali Camp Police Station.
As the case unfolds, Nashik City Commissioner of Police Sandeep Karnik has sounded off anyone and everyone who backs suspects on the run whom police have been looking out for: “All who harbour accused and hinder investigations in any of our cases will face legal action.”
