News Analysis India

Tag: TRP Case

  • Bombay HC says police do not seem to have any substantial evidence against Arnab Goswami in TRP case

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Thursday said that even after three months’ probe Mumbai Police did not seem to have anything “on record” to make Republic TV editor- in-chief Arnab Goswami and other employees of ARG Outlier Media accused in the TRP scam case.

    A bench of Justices S S Shinde and Manish Pitale also asked the Maharashtra government when the probe will be over.

    The government must be reasonable and if police did not find anything incriminating against Goswami and others, it must accept it and make a statement to the effect, the court said.

    “The investigation is going on for the last three months.

    We don’t see anything that has surfaced on record to arraign the petitioners as accused,” the bench said.

    The observations came after Chief Public Prosecutor Deeps Thakare informed that the police was still collecting evidence in the case, and wanted to continue the investigation against ARG Outlier Media, the company that runs Republic TV channels, and Goswami.

    The court, however, said a probe can not go on “forever”.

    “ED, CBI, state police, all should act with reasonableness, objective assessment.

    .

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    They should not appear to be another form of trouble,” it said.

    The high court was hearing final arguments on pleas filed by Goswami and ARG Outlier Media seeking several reliefs in the TRP scam case.

    Petitioners’ lawyer, senior advocate Ashok Mundargi told the HC that the Mumbai police’s crime branch was dragging out the probe, without naming Goswami and other employees of ARG as accused but merely naming them as suspects in the chargesheet.

    At this the bench said the state must make clear how long was the police likely to take to complete its probe.

    “At which point will your officer say that there is reason to believe that there is reason to arrest (Goswami and other employees)?” the bench asked.

    “You cannot have it both ways.

    You cannot not make them accused and then say you have evidence.

    If you have evidence make them accused so that they know what kind of relief can be granted against them,” it said.

    The HC, at the same time, also clarified that it had not formed any opinion about the case.

    “Don’t misunderstand.

    We have not formed our opinion at all,” it said.

    Among other things, ARG Outlier Media and Goswami have sought protection from coercive action such as arrest, and quashing of the FIR against them.

    They have also demanded transfer of the probe to the CBI or any other “independent agency”.

    The court is currently hearing arguments on whether FIR can be quashed when the probe is ongoing and petitioners are yet to be named as accused.

    The hearing will continue on Monday.

    Earlier, the police had denied petitioners’ allegation that the probe was a political vendetta against Republic TV for its political coverage.

    There was evidence to show that Goswami had connived with senior officials of the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) to rig the TRP of Republic TV, police alleged.

    The Republic TV has denied any wrongdoing.

    PTI AYA GK KRK KRK 03182319 NNNN

  • TRP scam: Interim relief to Arnab Goswami to continue till March 16

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: The Mumbai police on Friday told the Bombay High Court that its assurance of not taking any coercive action against journalist Arnab Goswami and other employees of ARG Outlier Media that runs Republic TV channels, in the TRP scam case, shall continue till March 16.

    Senior counsel Kapil Sibal, appearing for the Mumbai police, told a division bench of Justices S S Shinde and Manish Pitale that the police’s earlier statement of no coercive action against Goswami and other employees shall be extended till March 16.

    The court was hearing a petition filed by ARG Outlier Media, challenging the FIR and the charge sheet filed by the city police for alleged manipulation of television rating points (TRP).

    The court accepted Sibal’s statement and posted the matter for final hearing on March 16.

    The bench will hear ARG’s main prayers challenging the police’s investigation and seeking the transfer of probe to the CBI or any other independent agency, on March 16 via physical hearing.

    ARG media and Goswami approached the HC last year filing a bunch of petitions seeking several reliefs in the TRP scam.

    They alleged that the whole case was malafide and that they had been targeted for Republic TV’s reportage in the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, and the Palghar lynching case, last year.

    The Mumbai police had in January this year filed two affidavits in the case through the commissioner of police, Param Bir Singh, and ACP Shashank Sandbhor of the crime branch, saying it had not targeted Republic TV or its employees.

    The police had said its probe was not a result of any political vendetta and that there was evidence to show that Goswami had connived with senior officials of the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) to rig the TRP of Republic TV.

  • No coercive action against Arnab Goswami till January 29 in TRP case: Mumbai Police

    By PTI
    Mumbai, Jan 15 (PTI) The Mumbai police told the Bombay High Court on Friday that it will not take any coercive action till January 29 against Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami and other employees of ARG Outlier Media Pvt Ltd in the alleged fake TRP scam case.

    ARG is the parent company that runs all Republic TV channels.

    A division bench of Justices S S Shinde and Manish Pitale also extended till January 29, the interim relief for employees of the complainant company in the case, Hansa Research Group, by directing the police to ensure they are called for inquiry for not more than two days a week.

    The bench also took on record the status report filed by the Mumbai police in its investigation in the alleged scam which came to light late last year.

    ARG media had approached the HC last year seeking, among other things, that the police be restrained from taking coercive action against its employees.

    On Friday, ARG’s counsel senior advocate Harish Salve told the court that the allegations of the Mumbai police that Goswami paid bribes to rig TRP numbers was “nonsensical.”

    Salve said the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had registered a money laundering case related to the alleged TRP scam and was probing the same.

    He said the HC must call for a status report from the ED, too, and if the contents of the status reports filed by the Mumbai police and the central agency differed much, the court would realise the case against ARG was malafide.

    The ED’s counsel, Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, told the bench that the central agency had readied its status report and the court must accept it in a sealed cover.

    The Mumbai police’s counsel, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, however, opposed the ED’s submissions.

    Sibal raised questions on the ED’s locus standi in the matter.

    He also reminded the court that the financial probe agency was not a party in the case before the HC.

    Salve, however, told the HC that ARG had amended its plea and sought that the ED be impleaded as a party.

    The court then directed Sibal to file his reply to the amended plea and the ED being impleaded, by the next date of hearing.

    While opposing the ED being joined as a party, Sibal went on to question the central agency’s “enthusiasm” to file its status report even before it was impleaded as a party.

    “I have strong objections to the ED appearing in this matter. Why is this enthusiasm….,” Sibal said.

    Salve, however, argued that the police must not have any opposition to the court going through the ED’s report.

    “I dont understand how the State agency is trying to stop a Union agency from filing a report,” Salve said.

    The court, though, refused to take the ED’s status report on record on Friday and said it will consider the same on the next date of hearing.

    On January 6, Sibal had told HC that the Mumbai police will not take any coercive action against Goswami and employees of ARG till January 15.

    On Friday, as the HC granted the police time to file its reply to the amended petition and adjourned the hearing to January 29, Sibal submitted that he had no objection to such protection being extended till then.

    The HC accepted Sibal’s submission.

    ARG Media has filed several pleas and interim applications in the HC urging the court to transfer the probe in the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or any other independent agency.

    The pleas also urge the court to stay in the meanwhile, any further investigation in the case, and to restrain the police from taking any coercive action against the petitioners, their employees, or investors.

    The alleged racket was uncovered in October last year when the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) filed a complaint claiming certain television channels were rigging TRP numbers.