TRP scam: Hansa says no objection to police plea to withdraw case

Mumbai: Hansa Research Group, the complainant in the fake TRP case, in which senior journalist Arnab Goswami is an accused, on Thursday told court it had no objection to the Mumbai police's plea to withdraw the case.

In November last year, the Mumbai Crime Branch moved a plea before a magistrate court here seeking permission to withdraw the fake TRP case. The court had then issued notice and sought response of the complainant, Hansa Research Group, an insights and analytics firm.

Hansa Research Group had filed a complaint with police in October 2020 alleging that certain TV channels were rigging television rating points (TRP), which is a barometer of viewership.

In it response filed on Thursday, the complainant said it has "no objection" if the application filed by the state is allowed and the proceedings are withdrawn.

The matter will now be heard on February 1.

Police, in its supplementary chargesheet, had named Goswami as an accused in the case. It had said the senior journalist, in connivance with former CEO of BARC Partho Dasgupta, a co-accused, had allegedly illegally tampered with TRP data.

The police, in its chargesheet, had cited Goswami's acceptance of his WhatsApp chat with Dasgupta as crucial evidence to indict him in the case.

The Crime Branch had arrested 12 persons, including Republic TV's distribution head and owners of two other channels, in the case. All of them are out on bail at present.

Based on the Mumbai police's FIR, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had also filed a money laundering complaint in the alleged TRP rigging scam.

However, the ED, in its chargesheet filed in September last year, claimed no evidence was found against Republic TV.

The ED chargesheet said the Mumbai police's probe in this respect was "at variance" with the Central agency's probe.