Republic TV moves Bombay HC for quashing of FIR
19 Oct 2020 08:28:18
MUMBAI ;
ARG Outlier Media Pvt Ltd, which owns Republic TV, and its Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami have moved the Bombay High Court seeking to quash the FIR lodged against the channel in the alleged fake TRP (television rating points) scam.
The petition has also sought a direction to transfer the case to the CBI to ensure a fair and transparent probe and also on the ground that the case will have pan-India repercussions. The channel filed the petition in the HC on October 16, a day after the Supreme Court refused to hear a plea of one of its senior officials challenging the summons issued by the Mumbai police, and asked him to approach the Bombay HC instead. The Mumbai Crime Branch had registered an FIR under various sections of Indian Penal Code for cheating, criminal breach of trust and criminal conspiracy against Republic TV and its senior officials, and also against two other local regional channels. It has alleged that these channels were rigging TRPs. It has so far arrested six persons in the case.
The petition is likely to to be taken up for hearing next week. BARC says, its efforts focused on individuals; believes channels committed to clean ecosystem: Hit by the fake TRP scam, TV ratings computing body Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) on Saturday said it believes channels are committed to maintaining a clean ecosystem and its efforts presently are focused on “individuals” responsible for infiltrating homes to influence the data. The body said it is also cooperating with the probe by Mumbai Police, which has so far arrested six people for allegedly influencing particular channels’ ratings by inducing the homes which formed the sample size which was being monitored to determine the ratings.