The Mumbai Police apprised the Bombay High Court on Wednesday that it has found more evidence against Arnab Goswami and Republic TV in the TRP scam case and hence it did not wish to continue granting any protection from coercive action against the accused. The High Court adjourned the matter to the next date of hearing on 15th January as the accused’s counsel was not available due to a medical emergency. The Mumbai police have agreed to continue its previous assurance of not initiating any coercive action in the matter till 15th January 2021.
The alleged TRP scam was uncovered in October last year as the BARC (Broadcast Audience Research Council) pressed charges against certain television channels for rigging their TRP numbers to generate higher revenue from advertisements.
Crime Branch of the Mumbai Police had filed a 1,400-page charge sheet in the case identifying six channels including Republic Media Network and News Nation. It was alleged that these channels paid money to boost their TRPs for the past two years. ARG Outlier Media Private Limited, the company that runs Republic TV and R Bharat TV channels moved the high court seeking quashing of the FIR/charge sheet in the case and handing over the case to CBI. The matter is pending disposal before the Bombay High Court.
Senior Counsel Mr. Kapil Sibal represented the case on behalf of Mumbai police before the High Court bench comprising of Justice SS Shide and Justice MS Karnik. Sibal informed that the former CEO of BARC – Mr. Partho Dasgupta was recently arrested by the Mumbai Police and yesterday, a magistrate in Mumbai denied bail to Dasgupta observing that he “manipulated TRP for certain TV channels using his office as CEO of BARC”. Sibal highlighted that is a significant development in the case and informed that the police would submit a status report by the next date of hearing.
Dasgupta was arrested by the Mumbai Police on December 24 and told the police told Mumbai court, hearing his bail plea, that Arnab Goswami had allegedly bribed Dasgupta, the then BARC chief with “lakhs of rupees” to expand the news channel’s viewership.
Meanwhile, in another case alleging Arnab Goswami of abetment to suicide of interior designer AnvayNaik, the bench granted three weeks to Mr. Goswami and another accused Feroze Sheikh to change their pleas and challenge cognizance of the charge sheet.
