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TRP manipulation case: Mumbai crime branch questions three employees of Republic TV
Those being questioned are Republic TV CEO Vikas Khanchandani, COO Harsh Bhandari and distribution head Ghanshyam Singh
Mumbai crime branch has been questioning three senior employees of Republic TV in connection with the TRP manipulation case. Those being interrogated at the Mumbai police headquarters are Republic TV CEO Vikas Khanchandani and COO Harsh Bhandari while its distribution head, Ghanshyam Singh, is being questioned by another crime branch team in Daman.
The summons were sent to Khanchandani and Bhandari on October 10 while Singh was summoned again after he had responded to the first summon -- sent to him on October 9 -- that he was out of town till October 16.
A senior crime branch officer part of the team probing the fake TRP rating case confirmed the development and said that a crime branch team located Singh in Daman and his statements are being recorded there.
Also read: What has happened so far in TRP manipulation case
Several crime branch teams have left for five states to trace the accused who facilitated the alleged fake TRPs.
Earlier in the day, Republic TV’s chief financial officer (CFO) Shiva Sundaram wrote to Mumbai Police, stating he would be available to join investigations by October 14-15 and asked the Mumbai Police to not proceed with the probe till a writ petition in the matter was heard by the Supreme Court.
“I refer to the above summons issued by you on October 9, 2020 asking me to be present at your office on October 10, 2020 at 11pm for the purpose of your investigation in the subject First Information Report. At the outset, I would express my commitment to cooperate in the said investigations,” Sundaram says in his letter.
The letter requests Mumbai Police to halt investigations till the hearing of the writ petition filed before the Supreme Court. “I wish to bring to your notice that a writ petition under Article 32 has been filed before the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India (Provisional application number 7848/2020) in relation to the above referred matter and we have requested for an early hearing and it is likely to be listed by next week. Given that the matter is to be listed soon before the Hon’ble Supreme Court, I request you to not proceed any further with the investigations in so far as Republic TV and its employees are concerned. We will join the investigations subject to the orders of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India,” the letter says.
It ends by stating, “I would also like to inform you that on account of some personal commitments, I am scheduled to travel outside Mumbai for the next few days and accordingly, will only be available in Mumbai by 14-15 October, 2020.”
The alleged fake TRP case was registered after Mumbai Police claimed to have busted a TRP manipulation racket following a complaint by TV viewership measurement agency Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC). The police said Republic TV and two other local Mumbai channels were involved in manipulating the crucial data which indicates which TV programmes are viewed the most and is often used by advertisers for decisions related to ad spend.
