Big Win For Republic Media Network As False TRP Case Falls Flat

Mumbai: After a battle of 3.5 years, Republic Media Network has won the TRP case as the Mumbai court found no evidence against it. "Witnesses were threatened, coerced”, the court said and accepted an application filed by Mumbai police seeking closure of the TRP scam case of 2020, in which Republic TV's Editor-in-Chief, Arnab Goswami was named an accused. 

Ordering the withdrawal of all cases against Republic TV, the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court in Mumbai observed that the cases and evidence presented against Republic TV were fake. While certain other channels were accused of artificially inflating viewership data through monetary means, the case against Republic TV was initiated by the then Maharashtra government without substantiated evidence. 

 The detailed order of the court is awaited. 

FALSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE PROVEN

Reacting to the court's verdict, Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami said, "Lies never win, fabrication never wins. Conspiracies don't win. Hard work, willpower and determination win. For me, it was the faith in my team but more than that, the faith in the truth and faith in the Lord Almighty."

He added, "Everybody including the media industry knew this case was fake. Nobody had a shred of doubt about it. Nobody believed in the concocted claims of this case. Even my biggest enemy won't tell you behind closed doors that this was an attempt to fix me and the Republic." 

NO EVIDENCE AGAINST REPUBLIC MEDIA NETWORK

In 2022, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in its charge sheet filed before a special court in Mumbai had said that no evidence was found against Republic TV in the alleged TRP rigging scam. The Mumbai police’s probe in this respect was “at variance” with its probe, the central agency had said in the charge sheet filed two years back. At the same time, the ED had also asserted that it found evidence that some regional and entertainment channels were involved in manipulating Television Rating Points (TRP) by paying sample or ‘panel’ households.