TRP case: How much more time to complete probe: HC asks Mumbai Police

While noting that even after three months, investigations had not yielded anything concrete in the television rating point (TRP) manipulation case, the Bombay high court (HC) asked Mumbai Police to inform it as to how long it wants to continue investigations

While noting that even after three months, investigations had not yielded anything concrete in the television rating point (TRP) manipulation case, the Bombay high court (HC) asked Mumbai Police to inform it as to how long it wants to continue investigations. The court also sought a timeline of the same and as to whether it would proceed against Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami and ARG Outlier Media Pvt Ltd, who are not named as accused in either of the two charge sheets filed by the police so far.

Republic TV’s editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami. (Satish Bate/HT PHOTO)

On Wednesday, the division bench of justice SS Shinde and justice Manish Pitale were hearing the petition filed by ARG Outlier Media Pvt Ltd, which runs Republic TV, and Goswami, seeking quashing of the first information report (FIR) and charge sheet filed by Mumbai Police in TRP case. Senior counsel Ashok Mundargi continued from where he left, on Tuesday.

Mundargi submitted that while other channels had also been named in the case, the police were only interrogating Republic TV employees and the channel’s role in the case. Mundargi submitted that though the police had been investigating for four months, they had been unable to get any evidence to nail the channel and it was like a sword hanging on the heads of the channel and its employees.

Special counsel for the state Shishir Hiray submitted that the reports of BARC and statements by some witnesses showed that some channels were involved in manipulating TRPs. He submitted that the information with the Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh in October was about money being paid to households where barometers were installed to watch certain channels, however, in December the BARC report showed that there had been discrepancies in viewership ratings.

After hearing the submissions, the court sought to know from the police as to how much more time it needed to investigate the case as it could not go on forever. The court also sought a timeline of the investigation and directed the police to submit the same in the hearing on Thursday.