A supplementary charge sheet filed by the Mumbai Police on January 11 in the TRP scam case contains over 200 pages of purported WhatsApp conversations between Republic TV editor Arnab Goswami and then CEO of BARC (Broadcast Audience Research Council) Partho Dasgupta, who is now in custody, showing their alleged proximity, with Goswami more than once offering to mediate on Dasgupta’s behalf with the political leadership, including the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), and claiming at one point, “All ministers are with us”.
The Maharashtra government on Friday assured the Bombay High Court that it would not take any coercive action against Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami and other employees of ARG Outlier Media Private Limited, which runs the channel, till the next hearing in the TRP fraud case.
Following this, the Bombay High Court decided to continue the relief granted to Republic TV employees from coercive action till January 29. Earlier, the relief was granted by Friday.
The HC also took on record a status report filed by the Mumbai Police pertaining to the probe in a sealed envelope. Further, the court permitted parties to the case to approach it by giving notice to the other side, in case of any urgent
The channel had filed an application seeking to make the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is investigating a complaint related to TRP fraud in Lucknow, a party to the case. The government, however, had “strongly objected’ and sought time to file a reply to the plea.
On Friday, while hearing the pleas by ARG Outlier and Goswami against the probe, the HC was informed by Republic TV’s counsel that the state government is yet to respond to the channel’s plea and that they were apprehensive of the Mumbai Police arresting Goswami and other employees. Hence, they were seeking interim relief restraining the Mumbai Police from making arrests till the next hearing, the lawyer added.
After the state government sought time to file a reply to the channel’s plea, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the Maharashtra government, assured that interim protection from coercive action can be extended till the next hearing.