In what perceived as a clear case of “selling fake narratives and sensationalizing the news to gain profit” the Mumbai police today busted a most contentious and argued-over ‘TRP Scam’ allegedly run by three news channels that include Republic TV represented by its Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami, known for squealing all the time on the screen to sensationalize the news.
As per the reports, the Mumbai police took two people into custody in this case and one of them is said to be a former employee of an agency that used to install “People Metres” a setup box in homes to assess TRP ratings.
During a press conference today, the Commissioner Mumbai Police Param Bir Singh spellbound everyone by revealing the name of Republic TV Channel along with two other in the case and said that officials of R-TV will be summoned tomorrow to investigate the matter further in the case that largely spins around Sushant Singh Rajput’s case.
Explaining that the scam has come to light following analysis on the manipulation of news and sensationalizing fake narratives while covering the most argued-over case of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death, the Commissioner said “all the input were already provided to the central government. The directors and promoters of Republic TV to be summoned soon to investigate the TRP scam.”
The bank accounts of the channel will be accessed to ascertain the flow of funds they receive through advertisements and to determine whether they are from the proceeds of crimes.
When asked whether the police summon Arnab Goswami, the editor in chief of Republic TV, the Commissioner said, “Everyone, found involved in the case would be summoned and questioned irrespective of who ‘Big Cheese’ they. If found involved they must go through the lavers of the probe. The accounts of the channels would be seized besides initiating further action if they found guilty of breaking the law.”
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court take strong umbrage over the center for its evasive and brazen affidavit it has filed in connection with plaints seeking action against alleged sensationalized media reporting on Tablighi Jamaat.
A bench comprises of CJI SA Bobde, Justices A.S.Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian, was hearing a clutch of petitions filed by Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind and others seeking action against media organization allegedly communalized the coronavirus outbreak by liking it to Nizamuddin Markaz of Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi.
Pulling up Solicitor General Tushar Mehta after a junior official at the Information and Broadcasting Ministry filed the affidavit which contained “unnecessary” and “nonsensical” averments with regard to media reporting on the issue, the court sought an affidavit from a secretary-level officer with details of steps taken in past to stop sensationalize media reporting in such cases.
“You cannot treat the Court how you are treating it. The affidavit that filed by some junior officers, is evasive and says the petitioner gave no instance of bad reporting. You may not agree, but how you can say there is no instance of bad reporting shown? Secretary of the department must file an affidavit and avoid any unnecessary and nonsensical averments as made now,” Bar & Bench quoted CJI Bobde as saying.
The matter was posted again after two weeks. It is pertinent to mention here that the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind moved the apex court on April 6 seeking directions from the SC to prevent communalisation of the Nizamuddin Markaz issue by a section of print and electronic media in the country.
However, the central government in its affidavit, that filed on August 7, has stated that “The spread of Covid-19 among attendees of the Jamaat, attacks on health workers by some sections, etc were all accounts of fact and that all the “news reports based on facts cannot be censored.”
