Why did Mumbai Police hold press meet for TRP scam, asks HC

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday slammed Mumbai Police for continuing probe against Republic TV in the TRP manipulation investigation and not finding anything against them for months. The Court said that the Police can’t keep the sword hanging over the channel in the case as they have not named the channel as an accused despite filing two charge sheets against it.

In the FIR filed by Mumbai Police and complaint submitted by Hansa Research to the Enforcement Directorate (ED), neither mentions Republic TV yet the Mumbai Police has tried to frame the channel and Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami as the main accused in the case.

Furthermore, the HC asked Mumbai Police why they held a press conference last year to announce the alleged TRP scam. The Division of Justices SS Shinde and Manish Pitale said, “Do the police have an obligation to interact with the press? Why did the commissioner (of police) have to speak to the press?”

On October 8, 2020, Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh had told the press that the TRP racket had been busted which involved Republic TV, Box Cinema and Fakt Marathi. He accused these channels of distorting the ratings system used by Broadcast Audience Research Council to measure TV channels’ popularity.