MUMBAI: Ghanshyam Singh, distribution head of ARG Outlier Media Pvt Ltd which operates Republic TV, had connived with cable operators and multi-system operators (MSOs) and ran the channel on two frequencies in violation of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) guidelines, the chargesheet submitted by the police in the TRP manipulation scam on Tuesday said.
When a channel is run on multiple frequencies, it means it enjoys multiple slots across genres — for example, a news channel could also appear in the movie or entertainment categories.
“A manipulated TRP rating results in several advertisers to part with (sic) huge money to undeserving channels, thereby causing unlawful losses to all the concerned parties,” the chargesheet stated.
The chargesheet stated that Republic TV was a free-to air channel and Singh, its distribution head, allegedly connived with the other arrested accused, made payments to them to increase TRPs and paid money to them. Singh would formalise agreements with the other accused after discussing terms and conditions and rates. He was also required to monitor if these operators fulfilled the terms of the agreement, the police said in the chargesheet.
The city police had on October 6 registered a case in the TRP manipulation racket and have been investigating Republic TV, Fakt Marathi, Mahamovies, News Nation, Box Cinema and Wow music channels for rigging TRPs. India Today has been given a clean chit by the police, though one of the suspects had alleged that that channel had also rigged viewership figures.
The chargesheet has been filed against 12 accused, which includes former staff of Hansa Research and the owners of Fakt Marathi and Box Cinema. It contains statements of 140 witnesses, of which eight had deposed before the magistrate and have given confessional statements under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which are admissible as evidence during trial.Mumbai police filing the chargesheet within the stipulated period of 60 days assumes significance in the wake of the Enforcement Directorate conducting a parallel probe into the money laundering angle under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The police probe has revealed that confidential information on the locations of metered TV sets was leaked and viewers were paid to keep their sets tuned to specific channels.
