Bad news for India Today, CBI files FIR in TRP scam after UP Govt recommendation

The TRP scam that has been going on for the last few days has taken a new turn. After Maharashtra, this matter has come to light in Uttar Pradesh as well. After which the Uttar Pradesh Police registered a complaint in connection with the matter and the state government had submitted a request to the CBI to take over the investigation.

As per latest reports, the CBI has registered an FIR to investigate the TRP scam. It is worth mentioning that initially a complaint was registered against India Today TV for manipulating the TRP.

According to media reports, the UP government had demanded a CBI inquiry into the matter since it is a matter that has spread across states. The original complaint pertained to channels indulging in TRP manipulation which gave them an undue advantage.

As per sources, the private complaint was registered by one Kamal Sharma, the CIO of Golden Rabbit company. The complaint was registered at Hazratganj Kotwali Police station, Lucknow.

An ex-cop had filed a plea at a local court in Mumbai on Tuesday seeking to restrain Arnab Goswami and the Republic News Network from reporting on the TRP scam. He had sought Rs. 5 lakhs in damages claiming that the news network had embarked on a “smear campaign” against Mumbai Police, which was his “heart and soul”, as a consequence of which he had been aggrieved greatly.

Earlier, Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh made false allegations against Republic TV stating that the channel was involved in manipulating TV viewership data. However, the Republic News Channel’s Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami strongly denied the allegations and directed his legal team Phoenix Legal to initiate the proceedings to sue Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh for Rs 200 crore damages.

Contradicting Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh’s claims, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the state government said that Republic TV is not named in the FIR in the TRP scam case. The Mumbai police seemed to distance itself from the allegations made by the Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh.

Writer, historian, and activist Dharam Sikarwar is a very active author The Youth. He writes on national and international issues, environment, politics. He is an avid book reader as well.