TRP scam: Bombay HC asks ARG Media to complete its pleadings by February 9

Bombay High Court. File pic

The Bombay High Court on Friday directed ARG Outlier Media, the company that runs all Republic TV channels, to complete by February 9 its pleadings on its plea related to the Television Rating Points (TRP) scam case before the high court.

A bench of Justices S S Shinde and Manish Pitale also accepted the statement made by senior counsel Kapil Sibal, who appeared for the Maharashtra government, that the police will not take any coercive action against Republic TV editor-in- chief Arnab Goswami, and other employees of ARG Outlier Media, till February 12, the next date of hearing in the case.

ARG Outlier Media had approached the high court last year, seeking, among other things, that the police be restrained from taking coercive action against its employees.

On Friday, the bench remarked that the parties in the case had been filing additional replies and affidavits at the last hour, making it difficult for the court to go through the "bulky" case papers.

"This way, it will go on for months. Mr Sibal will have to make this statement every time. All pleadings have to be completed till February 9," it said while adjourning the hearing till February 12.

ARG Media has filed several pleas and interim applications in the high court, urging it to transfer the probe in the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or any other independent agency.

The pleas also urge the court to stay in the meanwhile, any further investigation in the case, and to restrain the police from taking any coercive action against the petitioners, their employees, or investors.

The police began a probe into the alleged scam after ratings agency Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) filed a complaint through Hansa Research Agency about rigging of TRP by some channels.

TRP, measured by recording viewership data at sample households, is crucial for attracting advertisers.

It was alleged that some of these families were being bribed to tune into certain channels to ramp up their TRP.

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