TRP case: Mumbai police deny claims of Republic TV, Goswami

The Mumbai police has deniedallegations of malice made by Republic TV and its editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami in the TRP scam case.

In two affidavits filed on Monday before a bench ofJustices SS Shinde and Manish Pitale, the Mumbai police saidit had not falsely implicated anybody, including Goswamior other functionaries of Republic TV, in the case.

In the affidavits, filed through senior counsel KapilSibal, the police said it had received a legitimate complaintregarding the scam, and it had initiated a probe following apreliminary inquiry and an analytical report submitted by theBroadcast Audience Research Council (BARC).

''Substantial evidence'' was found against three TVnews channels, including Republic TV, the police said.

The affidavits were filed in response to the plea ofARG Outlier Media, the company that runs Republic TV channels,which had approached HC last year seeking quashing of thecriminal proceedings against the channel and Goswami.

The ARG plea had also urged HC to pass an ordertransferring the investigation from Mumbai Crime Branch to theCentral Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

In its affidavits filed through police commissionerParam Bir Singh and ACP Shashank Sandbhor of the Crime Branch,the police said it had not targeted Republic TV or itsemployees, nor was the probe a result of political vendetta.

It said ARG's plea was not maintainable and did notdeserve any relief from court. ''The allegations raised byRepublic TV have been made only to escape the investigationand prosecution into the scam,'' the police said.

The police further said it had summoned and chargedemployees of several other TV channels, but no one else hadcomplained of malafide intent.

''The contention of the petitioners (ARG and RepublicTV) is that Mumbai police harbour ill will and malice againstthe petitioners as the TV channels of the petitioners havequestioned the investigation by Mumbai police in the SushantSingh Rajput case and Palghar lynching incident,'' read theaffidavit by Singh.

The affidavit said Mumbai police was a ''professionalpolice force'' that did not let ''individual opinions affect itsjudgement''.

''I deny there is any concerted effort or politicalconspiracy as alleged,'' his affidavit read.

The police further said an accused had no right tochose the investigating agency in a case.

It also said since the trial court had already takencognizance of its charge sheet in the case, ARG had no rightto seek that HC quash proceedings against it.

Defending press conferences held by the police afterit unearthed the Television Rating Points scam, Singh, in hisaffidavit, said briefings were held as per the procedure andpractice established in ''sensitive cases''.

ARG had also alleged that in arresting some of itsemployees, including Ghanshyam Singh, Republic TV's assistantvice president for distribution, the Mumbai police indulged inabuse of its powers.

Denying the allegations, police, in its affidavit,said, contrary to the channel's claims, Ghanshyam Singh hadrefused to cooperate with its probe.

The police also filed an affidavit in a related pleaby Hansa Research Group, the complainant in the TRP case,seeking transfer of the probe to the CBI.

The police said Hansa approached HC with an ''ulteriormotive'' after the probe started to expose a ''nexus'' betweenthe research group and TV channels.

The TRP scam was uncovered earlier this year when BARCfiled a complaint through Hansa about alleged rigging ofviewership ratings.