Mumbai Police set to quiz Arnab Goswami in Republic TV TRP fraud case
In a press conference held on Thursday, Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh told reporters that the city police are probing a scam involving manipulation of TRPs. He identified three channels, namely Fakt Marathi, Box Cinema, and Republic-TV which are reportedly involved in distorting the apparatus used by BARC to rate television channels.
The TRP is calculated on the basis of TV channel viewership in a confidential set of households. As per the commissioner, the accused would bribe these households and ask them to run some channels continuously even if they were not home. The BARC (Broadcast Audience Research Council) releases weekly rating points for TV channels in India and its own officials are also being questioned in connection with the case.
Here's what Commissioner Param Bir Singh said:
- There are 2,000 barometers installed in Mumbai to monitor TRPs. BARC has given confidential contracts to an agency called 'Hansa' for monitoring these barometers. Accused would ask some households to keep some channels on even if they were not at home.
- Two people were arrested, produced in court and the Mumbai Police have got their custody. One accused has been arrested with Rs 20 lakhs while Rs 8.5 lakhs has been found in a bank locker, Commissioner Param Bir Singh said.
- He added that owners of Marathi channels Fakt Marathi and Box Cinema have been arrested. Arrests were made under sections 409 and 420 of IPC.
- BARC has submitted that Republic TV is a suspect in TRP manipulation, the Mumbai Police Commissioner said. Police received the data of these households from BARC, the rating agency. We suspect that if this was happening in Mumbai then it could be happening in other parts of the country as well, he added.
- ACP Shashank of Crime Branch's CIU is leading the investigation and DCP and JCP are supervising the investigation.
- The complaint was filed by Hansa Research against some of their ex-employees who could have misused data on households where the TRP monitoring systems are installed. Some current employees could also be involved and some insiders could be involved. It is cheating (breach of trust) complaint turned into an FIR, the police commissioner told reporters.
- Promoters and directors of Republic TV will be summoned and questioned, Commissioner Param Bir Singh said. Summons will be sent to Republic officials, including Editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami on Thursday and they will be asked to appear before the investigating team, the commissioner said.
- Some TV channels ran fake propaganda to gain ratings but now we have come to learn that there was a manipulation being done in BARC systems, Param Bir Singh claimed.
- The culprits, whoever they may be, will be investigated and we will take this fraud case to its logical conclusion, he added.
- The Mumbai Police have shared the probe findings with the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) ministry.
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In farewell speech, Calcutta HC judge Chitta Ranjan Dash says he's RSS member
Kolkata, May 20: Justice Chitta Ranjan Dash, who retired as a judge of the Calcutta High Court on Monday, said he was a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangha (RSS).
Speaking at his farewell at the high court in the presence of the judges and members of the bar, Justice Dash said he was "ready to go back to the organisation" if they call him for any assistance or for any work that he was capable of doing.
"To the distaste of some persons, I must admit here that I was and I am a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangha (RSS)," he said.
Demitting office after over 14 years as a judge, Justice Dash came to the Calcutta HC from the Orissa HC on transfer.
"I owe a lot to the organisation... I am there from my childhood and throughout my youth," he said.
"I have learnt to be courageous, upright and have an equal view for others and above the sense of patriotism and commitment to the work," he said.
Justice Dash said that he had distanced himself from the organisation for about 37 years because of his work.
"I have never used my membership of the organisation for any advancement of my career because it is against its principles," he said.
Justice Dash said he treated everybody at par, be he a rich person, be he a communist, or from the BJP, Congress or TMC.
"All are equal before me, I do not hold any bias for anyone or for any political philosophy or mechanism," he said, adding that he tried to dispense justice on the principles of empathy and that "law can be bent to do justice, but justice cannot be bent to suit the law".
He said that he is "ready to go back to the organisation" if they call him for any assistance or for any work they need which he is capable of doing.
"Because I have not done anything wrong in my life, I have the courage to say I belong to the organisation, because that is also not wrong," he said.
