The Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU) of the Mumbai Police on Tuesday filed a third chargesheet before a magistrate #39;s court here in the alleged fake Television Ratings Points (TRP) scam.
Tag: BARC
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Times Network mulls legal action against BARC for rating manipulation
By PTI
NEW DELHI: Bennett Coleman & Company Ltd, India’s top newspaper publisher and television channel owner, on Monday said it is mulling legal action against BARC over its alleged role in the manipulation of TV ratings.In a statement, BCCL said it is contemplating legal action against Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) over alleged fraud in declaring rival Republic TV as leading in the English News Genre ahead of the group’s Times Now news channel.
BARC’s Forensic Audit of July 2020, as well as the multiple emails and WhatsApp chats of that period, which has been accessed by Mumbai Police, clearly shows that BCCL’s Times Now’s TRPs were indeed manually reduced by BARC officials.
BCCL, a subscriber of viewership data from BARC for its channels, including Times Now operating under Times Network, said the rating agency had “fraudulently declared Republic TV as No 1, even when Times Now was consistently higher” by a large margin.
“Due to this unacceptable and unpardonable act of BARC, Times Network has suffered huge financial losses and irreparable damage to its reputation/ goodwill. Times Network/ BCCL is contemplating all possible legal actions against BARC for non-redressal of its grievances, as available in law for wrongful loss caused,” Times Network said in the statement.
It also intends to initiate appropriate proceedings against the individual perpetrators of the fraud as per provisions of Criminal and Civil laws, Times Network added.
Times Network had made multiple attempts to get an official statement of explanation from BARC in the last few weeks, which has been rebuffed.
Even after unearthing this gross misreporting of an entire genre for a protracted period vide the Forensic Audit Report of July 2020, BARC’s present Management and Board kept this matter under wraps and took no action against any of the perpetrators other than asking some of the errant officials to silently resign, it added.
“The inaction as far as we can see is systemic and deliberate, as had it not been for the Mumbai Police investigators who stumbled upon this report in December 2020, BARC had no intention in the first place to either inform us as affected party or penalise the fraudulent broadcaster,” it said.
This constitutes moral turpitude, breach of trust and puts a question on code of conduct and ethical standards of the present BARC Board and Management.
“It is worth pondering as to whether such a Board and Management can indeed preside over a system which puts out ratings that impact ad spends worth over Rs 30,000 crore per annum and impacts the livelihoods of thousands of employees engaged in the broadcast sector,” the statement said.
According to BCCL, it had suspected manipulation of ratings after the launch of Republic TV.
“Since 2017 and especially after the launch of Republic TV in May 2017, BCCL/ Times Network suspected large scale manipulation of ratings pertaining to illegal usage of multiple LCNs and out of EPG placement by Republic TV,” it said.
It had found significant abnormalities in market-wise ratings of Republic TV, which clearly indicates ground level tampering and deliberate intervention at the raw data level to favour them.
It has repeatedly complained about these irregularities to BARC for almost two years but got no resolution, said Times Network, part of country’s largest media conglomerate, The Times Group.
Now, the press statement by Mumbai Police on December 25, 2020, in the ongoing investigation into the BARC TRP Scam, has made it clear that proof had been unearthed exposing manipulation by BARC officials for the benefit of Republic TV in 2017/18, Times Network added.
“As per BARC’s Forensic Audit of July 2020, as well as the multiple emails and WhatsApp chats of that period, which has been accessed by Mumbai Police, it is now clear that Times Now’s TRPs were indeed manually reduced by BARC officials headed by Partho Dasgupta and Romil Ramgarhia before publishing, with the intention to give undue advantage to Republic TV in the English News Genre and thereby fraudulently declare Republic TV as No 1, even when Times Now was consistently higher by a large margin and was the undisputed leader of the Genre,” it said.
Time Network broadcasts news channels – TIMES NOW, ET NOW and MIRROR NOW.
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TRP case: Ex-BARC CEO discharged from hospital, bail plea on Monday
By PTI
MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Friday directed the Maharashtra government to submit by Monday the medical report of Partho Dasgupta, former Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) CEO arrested in the television rating points (TRP) rigging scam.A single bench of Justice PD Naik heard an urgent bail plea this evening, filed by Dasgupta’s counsels, seeking interim bail for at least two weeks considering his poor health.
Last week, Dasgupta was rushed to JJ Hospital from the Taloja prison, where he is lodged as an undertrial after his blood sugar levels shot up and he fell unconscious.
Dasgupta was discharged this evening, after which his lawyers moved HC seeking an urgent hearing.
“He was discharged from JJ Hospital on a stretcher. If he was fit enough to be discharged, then he should have been walking out and not been carried out on a stretcher,” said Dasgupta’s counsel Arjun Singh Thakur.
The state’s counsel, Deepak Thakare, told HC that as per protocol since the JJ hospital had certified Dasgupta to be fit for discharge, he will be taken to the Taloja prison hospital.
If he is certified as fit, he will be shifted to his prison cell, or else, he will be taken back to JJ hospital, Thakare said.
“So, the court directed that the state produce his (Dasgupta’s) latest medical reports. And it will hear our urgent bail plea on Monday,” advocate Thakur said.
Dasgupta was arrested by the Mumbai crime branch on December 24 last year.
Earlier this week, a sessions court here rejected his bail plea saying he played a vital role in the TRP scam.
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TRP scam: Uddhav government starts gathering information on chats between Arnab Goswami, ex-BARC CEO
By PTI
NASHIK: The Maharashtra government is gathering information about the leaked social media chats between Arnab Goswami and BARC ex-CEO Partho Dasgupta in which highly sensitive things like Balakot airstrike and Pulwama attack were mentioned, Home Minister Anil Deshmukh has said, adding the issue will be discussed by the Cabinet on Tuesday.The purported chats widely reported in media mentioned that Goswami, the editor-in-chief of Republic TV, was privy to the Balakot air strikes.
Speaking to reporters here on Monday night, Deshmukh said how Goswami came to know about such sensitive information is a big question.
“We are gathering information about the leaked chats between Arnab Goswami and Partho Dasgupta. Some highly sensitive things including the Balakot airstrike and the Pulwama attack have been mentioned in the chats. How Arnab came to know about such sensitive information is a big question,” Deshmukh said.
He said the state Cabinet is scheduled to meet on Tuesday in Mumbai.
“After the meeting, a decision about this issue will be taken,” Deshmukh said.
ALSO READ | Bhupesh Baghel seeks SC-monitored probe in Arnab Goswami’s purported chats with ex-BARC chief
Earlier in the day, the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) asked the government to set up a Joint Parliamentary Committee to probe the purported chats between Goswami and Dasgupta.
Dasgupta, who was arrested in the fake Television Rating Point (TRP) case, is now in the ICU of state-run JJ hospital in central Mumbai.
A diabetic, he was rushed to the hospital from the Taloja Central Prison in Navi Mumbai on Saturday after his blood sugar levels went up on Friday midnight.
The Mumbai police had earlier told the court that Goswami had allegedly bribed Dasgupta with lakhs of rupees to ramp up Republic TV’s viewership.
Meanwhile, the home minister attended a review meeting of the police department organised at the Maharashtra Police Academy (MPA) here.
ALSO READ | National security issues reduced to ‘TRP tamasha’: Mehbooba attacks Arnab Goswami
On the occasion, Deshmukh lauded the facilities available at the MPA and expressed satisfaction about the low crime rate in Nashik.
Deshmukh hailed the successful initiative of Pratap Dighavkar, Special IG, Nashik Range, to give back the money of farmers duped by unscrupulous traders.
“We will try to implement this measure at the state level,” the home minister said.
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Bhupesh Baghel seeks SC-monitored probe in Arnab Goswami’s purported chats with ex-BARC chief
By PTI
RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Monday sought a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the purported chats between Republic TV Editor-in- Chief Arnab Goswami and former Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) head Partho Dasgupta.Asked about the purported chats widely reported in the media which mentioned that Goswami was privy to the 2019 Balakot air strikes in Pakistan, Baghel said the matter pertains to national security.
He was speaking to reporters here before leaving on a two-day visit to Assam, where he is a Congress observer for overseeing campaign management in the poll-bound north-eastern state.
On the ‘chatgate’, the CM said, This is dangerous for the country’s security.
How come such highly confidential information was known to a journalist? “If it has happened then the judiciary and the NIA should take suo motu cognisance of the matter.”
Baghel asked the Centre to clarify its stand.
The Centre should clarify that how he (Goswami) had information about it and why it is being covered up.
The matter should be probed under the supervision of a sitting judge of the Supreme Court as it is linked to the nation’s security.
“There should be no politics on the issue and an impartial inquiry should be conducted into the matter,” he said.
Dasgupta, who was arrested in the fake Television Rating Point (TRP) case, is now in the ICU of state-run JJ hospital in central Mumbai.
The Mumbai police had earlier told the court that Goswami had allegedly bribed Dasgupta to ramp up Republic TV’s viewership.
Meanwhile, Baghel slammed the BJP over notices served by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to farmer leaders protesting against the Centre’s new agriculture laws, and asserted the saffron partys attempts to “suppress” cultivators movement would not scare them.
Whenever a protest takes place, the BJP tries to defame it.
They have been labeling this movement (against new farm laws) as ‘Pakistan-backed, China-backed and Khalistani- supported’.
“Despite all these allegations, farmers have so far stood firmly on their demand. Now, those who are heading the farmers protest are served notices by the NIA.”
The Congress leader said the protesting farmers will not be scared into withdrawing their agitation.
“No matter how much they (BJP) try to suppress their movement, I dont believe that farmers will be afraid and retreat,” Baghel added.
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NCP demands JPC on purported chats between Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami, BARC head Partho Dasgupta
By PTI
MUMBAI: The Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Monday asked the government to set up a Joint Parliamentary Committee to probe the purported chats between Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami and former Broadcast Audience Research Council head Partho Dasgupta.Referring to the purported chats widely reported in media which mentioned that Goswami was privy to the Balakot airstrikes, NCP chief spokesperson Mahesh Tapase said, “It is extremely shocking and disturbing to know how issues related to national security have been used to gain TRPs.”
Tapase said he will meet Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Tuesday on the issue and seek clarification from Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the ‘chatgate’.
“The question also arises how Arnab was privy to such sensitive information. The Ministry of Home Affairs has to identify the source and immediately take action,” he said.
ALSO READ: Probe Balakot air strike info leak – Opposition
Goswami has been at the forefront in maligning the image of the Mumbai police and also the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in the state, Tapase claimed.
“In his TV debates, he tried to give a communal angle to the Palghar incident. The Sushant Singh Rajput death case was blown out of proportion and a false narrative was set. All this was done with the sole intention to destabilise the MVA government,” Tapase said.
The BJP should clarify its position on Arnab Goswami, he said.
Dasgupta, who was arrested in the fake Television Rating Point (TRP) case, is now in the ICU of state-run JJ hospital in central Mumbai.
A diabetic, he was rushed to the hospital from the Taloja Central Prison in Navi Mumbai on Saturday after his blood sugar levels went up on Friday midnight.
The Mumbai police had earlier told the court that Goswami had allegedly bribed Dasgupta with lakhs of rupees to ramp up Republic TV’s viewership.
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TRP scam: Condition of ex-CEO of BARC Partho Dasgupta stable, say doctors
By PTI
MUMBAI: The health condition of Partho Dasgupta, a former CEO of TV ratings agency BARC who was arrested in the Television Rating Points (TRP) rigging case, is stable but he is still in the ICU of JJ Hospital here, a senior official said on Sunday.Dasgupta, 55, a diabetic, was rushed to the state-run hospital in central Mumbai from the Taloja Central Prison in Navi Mumbai in the early hours of Saturday after his blood sugar levels shot up, a prison official had said, adding that he was put on oxygen support.
“Dasgupta was admitted to the ICU of the hospital after his blood sugar level shot up. He is still in the same department but is stable. A team of physicians is monitoring his health,” JJ Hospital superintendent Dr Sanjay Surase said on Sunday.
Dasgupta was arrested in the alleged TRP rigging scam by crime branch of the Mumbai Police on December 24 last year.
A Mumbai court had earlier this month rejected his bail plea, stating that he appeared to have played a vital role in the scam to rig TRP as per the police’s case.
The Mumbai Police had earlier told the court that Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami had allegedly bribed Dasgupta with “lakhs of rupees” to ramp up the news channel’s viewership numbers fraudulently.
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TRP scam: Ex-CEO of BARC hospitalised
By PTI
MUMBAI: Former CEO of ratings agency BARC, Partho Dasgupta, who was arrestedin the alleged fake Television Ratings Point (TRP) case, has been admitted in the ICU of state-run JJ hospital in central Mumbai, an official said on Saturday.Dasgupta, a diabetic, was rushed to the hospital from the Taloja Central Prison in Navi Mumbai in the early hours of Saturday after his blood sugar levels went up on Friday midnight.
Dasgupta was admitted to the ICU of JJ hospital and is on Oxygen support, he said.
Dasgupta was arrested in the alleged TRP rigging scam by crime branch of the Mumbai Police on December 24 last year.
A Mumbai court had earlier this month rejected the bail plea of Dasgupta, stating that he played a vital role in the scam.
The Mumbai Police had earlier told the court that Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami had allegedly bribed Dasgupta with “lakhs of rupees” to ramp up the news channels viewership.