TRP scam: Republic Media Network CEO gets bail

A Mumbai court on Wednesday granted Vikas Khanchandani, Chief Executive Officer of Republic Media, in the TRP scam case. Vikas Khanchandani was accused of allegedly molesting television ratings points.

Vikas Khanchandani was arrested from his home by the Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU) of the police on Sunday. Vikas Khanchandani's lawyer Nitin Pradhan told that the court has given bail on a bond of Rs 50,000.

The police investigation was initiated following a complaint by the ratings agency Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC). It was alleged in the complaint that some television channels have manipulated the TRP.

Before the arrest of Vikas Khanchandani, 12 people have been arrested by the Crime Branch of Mumbai Police. The TRP scam was revealed last month when the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) filed a complaint through the Hansa Research Group alleging that some channels were manipulating the TRP figures.

Earlier, the senior journalist and editor-in-chief of the channel Arnab Goswami was also arrested by Mumbai Police in an old case. However, he was later granted bail by the court.

The Maharashtra Police filed charge sheet against Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami in the 2018 abetment to suicide. The charge sheet was filed by a Maharashtra police in Alibag court. In the media report, it was told on behalf of the government lawyer that besides the Arnab Goswami, two more people, Feroz Sheikh and Nitish Sarada, were included in the police charge sheet.

Arnab Goswami, the editor-in-chief of Republic media network, filed an urgent petition before the Bombay High Court on Thursday, seeking to file a charge sheet in the 2018 provocation of Anvay Naik for suicide and to stop further investigation.

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