Court seeks complainant's response to police plea to withdraw fake TRP case
Mumbai (PTI): A Mumbai court on Thursday issued notice to the complainant seeking its response to the plea filed by police to withdraw the fake TRP case in which senior television journalist Arnab Goswami has been named as an accused.
The case was registered after the Broadcast Audience Research Council lodged a complaint alleging certain TV channels were rigging TRPs (television rating points connected to viewership) through illegal means.
Metropolitan magistrate (Esplanade Court) L S Padhen will hear the complainant before passing an order. The case will be heard next on January 18.
Last month, the Mumbai Crime Branch moved a plea in court seeking to withdraw the fake TRP case.
The case came to light in October 2020 when ratings agency Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) filed a complaint through Hansa Research Group alleging that certain television channels were rigging TRP numbers.
Mumbai police, in its supplementary chargesheet, had named Goswami as an accused in the case. It alleged that he, in connivance with co-accused and former CEO of BARC Partho Dasgupta, illegally tampered with TRPs.
The chargesheet cited Goswami's acceptance of his WhatsApp chat with Dasgupta as crucial evidence to indict him in the case.
On Tuesday, the prosecution filed an application before a magistrate court to withdraw the case.
The plea was moved under section 321 of the Code of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), which enables the public prosecutor or assistant public prosecutor to withdraw from the prosecution of any person either generally or in respect of any one or more of the offences for which he is tried.
The Crime Branch had arrested 12 persons, including Republic TV's distribution head and owners of two other channels, in connection with the case. The accused are currently out on bail.
Based on the Mumbai police's FIR, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) also filed a money laundering complaint in the alleged TRP rigging scam.
However, ED, in its chargesheet filed in September last year, claimed no evidence was found against Republic TV in the alleged scam.
The Mumbai police's probe in this respect was "at variance" with its probe, the central agency had said in the charge sheet.
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It's govt's responsibility to support youth who dare to dream: Omar Abdullah
Jammu (PTI): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said the government may not be able to provide jobs to everyone, but it can create an ecosystem for youngsters to become entrepreneurs and innovators.
It is the responsibility of the government to support youth who dare to dream, he said.
After inaugurating the 11th National Conference and Exhibition on Emerging and Innovative Trends in Engineering Technology (NCEEITET) at the Government College of Engineering and Technology (GCET) in Jammu, Abdullah said, “We may not be able to provide jobs to everyone, but we can certainly create an environment where our youngsters become entrepreneurs and innovators.”
The two-day conference is being organised by the GCET in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology-Kharagpur and the World University Consortium (WUC).
Addressing the gathering, Abdullah assured that all necessary steps would be taken to strengthen infrastructure and support systems at the GCET, ensuring that it continues to evolve as a premier institution.
The chief minister also inaugurated a new building for the School of Architecture in the college, built at Rs 19.71 crore.
Stressing the need to balance modernity with the region’s cultural and historical identity, Abdullah said, “Not every building needs to be made of glass and steel. Our structures must reflect our heritage and preserve our cultural ethos.”
Highlighting the role of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, Abdullah said they could significantly improve tourism management, visitor experience and service delivery in Jammu and Kashmir.
However, he cautioned that technological advancement should complement human effort rather than replace jobs, especially in a region where unemployment remains a concern.
The chief minister said that attracting tourists to Jammu and Kashmir was not difficult, but ensuring repeat visits required consistently enriching experiences and better infrastructure across tourism segments, including pilgrimage, border and leisure tourism.
To address the infrastructure gaps in the college, Abdullah announced that funds would be provided this year for the construction of an auditorium.
He also assured support for setting up an incubation centre in GCET.
During the event, Abdullah also released the e-proceedings of the conference, comprising 28 shortlisted research papers.
