Mumbai: Mumbai Police filed Tuesday a charge sheet in a court here in the alleged TRP (Television Rating Points) rigging scam. The charge sheet was submitted before a magistrate’s court by the police’s Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU). The CIU is conducting a probe into the case, an official said.
The crime branch has so far arrested 12 persons in the case. Among them are Republic TV’s western region distribution head and owners of two other channels.
The fake TRP scam came to light last month when ratings agency Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) filed a complaint through Hansa Research Group. It alleged that certain television channels were rigging TRP numbers. Hansa had been tasked with installing barometers, which record viewership data (which channel has been watched and for how long) at sample households. TRP is important as advertising revenue of channels depends on it.
Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh last month claimed that ‘Republic TV’ and two Marathi channels ‘Box Cinema’ and ‘Fakt Marathi’ were involved in manipulating TRPs. ‘Republic TV’ and other accused have denied wrongdoing and manipulation of the TRP system.
Earlier, Republic TV’s CEO, two COOs and CFO were summoned by the police for questioning in the case. The statements of Republic TV’s executive editor Niranjan Narayanswamy and senior executive editor Abhishek Kapoor were also recorded by the police.
The Maharashtra government last month withdrew its ‘general consent’ given to the Central Bureau of Investigation to probe cases in the state, in the wake of the CBI taking over a case registered by Uttar Pradesh Police against ‘unknown’ channels and persons over alleged fudging of TRP.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) recently filed a money laundering complaint in the alleged TRP rigging scam being investigated by the Mumbai Police.
TRP, Scam, Charge sheet, CBI, ED, Republic TV, Maharashtra
