[Breaking] 'Have Faith In Our HCs' : SC Asks Republic TV To Move Bombay HC With Plea Challenging Mumbai Police Summons In TRP Case [Read Order]

The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to entertain a writ petition filed by the company running Republic TV and its chief Mr. Arnab Goswami seeking to quash the summons issued by the Mumbai police in the FIR alleging manipulation of Television Rating Points(TRP).

The Court granted the petitioners liberty to approach the High Court.

"We must have faith in our HCs. Without the intervention of the HC, it sends a bad message to the HC. They have been functioning throughout the pandemic", Justice DY Chandrachud remarked.

"Go under Article 226 or Section 482", Justice Indu Malhotra too weighed in.

At this, Senior Advocate Harish Salve, appearing for the petitioners, agreed to withdraw the plea to approach the HC.

During the short hearing, the bench also expressed concerns at the practise of police commissioners giving press statements in relation to cases.

"We are also concerned by the way police commissioners are giving interviews to the press these days", Justice Chandrachud remarked.

A bench comprising Justices D Y Chandrachud, Indu Malhotra and Indira Banerjee considered the petition jointly filed by ARG Outlier Media Pvt Ltd and Arnab Goswami.

It was on October 8 that the Mumbai police told the press that it has detected the fraudulent practise of TRP manipulation. Republic TV and two Marathi channels were said to have been arrayed as accused in the FIR.

A household comprising people who were not literate always had an English news channel switched on; they were paid about Rs 400-500 every month, said the police.

The police said that they arrested a person associated with Hansa Research Group Pvt Ltd, which was assisting the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC). BARC prepares the TRP ratings, installing 30000 barometers in various parts of the country to monitor programs and based on the statistical metrics, BARC awards ratings to various TV channels.

As per the police version, few employees of Hansa misused the confidential data which had been entrusted to them.

"Preliminary investigations also revelaed that these accused persons have manipulated the sampling metering services by inducing the barometer users by paying them periodically to watch particular TV Channel/s. Many of the people in whose homes these barometers have been installed have accepted that they have been monetarily beneficial for keeping their TV sets on even if they did not actually watch", the police statement said.

Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh had told reporters an FIR has been registered at Kandivali Police Station for offences of criminal breach of trust (Section 409), cheating (420) and criminal conspiracy (120B) under the Indian Penal Code.

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