Mumbai court issues notice to complainant in fake TRP case involving Arnab Goswami

A Mumbai court has issued a notice to the complainant, directing them to respond to a plea filed by the police seeking to withdraw the fake TRP case, wherein television journalist Arnab Goswami has been named as an accused. The case, initiated after a complaint by the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), alleges the manipulation of Television Rating Points (TRPs) by certain channels through illicit means.

Metropolitan Magistrate L S Padhen of the Esplanade Court will preside over the matter and the next hearing is scheduled for January 18. The Mumbai Crime Branch had recently submitted a plea to withdraw the case, marking a significant twist in the legal proceedings.

This controversy first surfaced in October 2020 when BARC, through Hansa Research Group, filed a complaint revealing the alleged rigging of TRP numbers by specific television channels. Arnab Goswami, the renowned journalist, was later named as an accused in the supplementary chargesheet filed by the Mumbai police. The chargesheet contends that Goswami, in collaboration with former BARC CEO Partho Dasgupta, illicitly tampered with TRPs.

Crucial evidence presented in the chargesheet includes Arnab Goswami’s acknowledgment of his WhatsApp chat with Dasgupta. This revelation has been pivotal in substantiating the allegations against him.

The Mumbai Crime Branch, in a recent move, filed an application under section 321 of the Code of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), seeking the withdrawal of the case. This section empowers the public prosecutor to withdraw from the prosecution of any person, either generally or in relation to specific offenses.

Twelve individuals, including Republic TV’s distribution head and owners of two other channels, were arrested in connection with the case by the Crime Branch. All accused parties are presently out on bail.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had also entered the scene, filing a money laundering complaint based on the Mumbai police’s FIR. However, in a chargesheet submitted last September, the ED asserted that no evidence was found against Republic TV in the alleged TRP rigging scam. The ED’s findings contradicted the Mumbai police’s probe, highlighting a variance in their respective investigations.