Found proof against Republic TV, Arnab in TRP case: Police to HC
MUMBAI : The Mumbai Police on Wednesday told the Bombay High Court that “some evidence” was found against Republic TV and its editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami in the Television Rating Points (TRP) scam case, and therefore, it did not want to continue granting them any protection from any coercive action.
However, as the high court adjourned the matter without hearing any arguments during the day, the police agreed to continue its previous assurance of not taking any coercive action till January 15, the next date of hearing in the case.
The alleged fake TRP scam was unearthed last year after the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) filed a complaint alleging that certain television channels were rigging their TRP numbers, apparently to generate more revenue from advertisements.
TRP Scam: Some Evidence Found Against Republic TV & Arnab Goswami, says Mumbai Police
An official of Hansa Research filed a case with the Mumbai Police against Republic TV & Arnab Goswami, alleging that TRP was being manipulated.
| 6 Jan 2021 1:42 PM GMT
Mumbai: The Mumbai Police has told the Bombay High Court that they have found some evidence against the Republic TV and the editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami in relation to the Television Rating Points scam case. Mumbai Police further said that therefore, they do not want to grant them any protection from coercive actions.
The Bombay HC adjourned the matter without hearing the arguments during the day. The police, however, agreed to continue the previous assurance of not taking any coercive action till the next date of hearing, which is January 15.
Highlights
Last month, the Centre had constituted a four-member committee to review the guidelines on television rating agencies in India
It had asked the panel to submit its report to the Information and Broadcasting minister within two months
New Delhi: A Television Rating Points (TRP) manipulation racket was busted in Mumbai on October 7. The Mumbai Police came out with a startling revelation that two former employees of Hansa, which is responsible for the maintenance of over 3000 parameters across the country, including around 2000 in Mumbai, allegedly tampered with the TRP data.
TRP is a tool to judge which TV programmes are viewed the most and also indicates the viewers choice and popularity of a particular channel.
Dasgupta, who was produced before the court after his police custody ended, also filed a bail application. His lawyer Kamlesh Ghumre argued that Dasgupta was CEO of the Broadcast Audience Research Council but there was a board of directors and a disciplinary committee above him. He was not the whole and sole of the BARC, the lawyer said, adding that he could not have manipulated the rating system. The court will hear the bail plea on January 1. Mumbai police have alleged that Dasgupta misused his official position and manipulated the TRP of certain TV channels. TRP was rigged by bribing some of the sample households from where viewership data is collected to tune into particular channels, as per the police case.
Jewellery worth Rs 48 lakh seized from BARC CEO Partho Dasgupta s locker
Bhushan Koyande
The Criminal Intelligence Unit (CIU) of the city crime branch investigating the Television Rating Points (TRP) scam has seized jewellery worth Rs 48 lakh from the bank locker of former Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) CEO Partho Dasgupta, who was earlier arrested in the case. The police claimed that the said jewellery had been procured from the money he had received for TRP manipulations.
In Wednesday s remand application, Mumbai police reiterated that Dasgupta allegedly received kickbacks in lakhs from Republic TV s Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami for helping his channel gain top ranking. Police checked a joint bank locker belonging to him and his wife after Dasgupta, in his voluntary statement to the police, said he had kept the said jewellery in the locker. According to the police, they have seized gold and silver jewellery weighing around 1.3 kg worth Rs 48 lakh from the locker.