The crime branch of Mumbai Police has arrested Partho Dasgupta, a former CEO of the TV rating agency, Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), in the TRP scam case. Dasgupta has now become the 15th person to be arrested in the case. He is likely to be produced before a court in Raigad later today.
Dasgupta’s arrest came exactly a week after the Mumbai Police arrested the former Chief Operating Officer (COO) of BARC in the same case. The arrest of Romil Ramgarhia had come just days after the Mumbai Police arrested Arnab Goswami’s CEO, Vikas Khanchandani. Khanchandani was later granted bail by a Mumbai court three days after his arrest.
The Mumbai Police launched an investigation into the TRP scam case after the BARC complained of fraud in TRPs committed by some TV channels. Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh had held an extraordinary press conference in October this year. He had indicated that Goswami Arnab Goswami too could be arrested and his bank account may face intense scrutiny.
Days later Goswami was arrested in the abetment to suicide case. The Republic TV founder had to spend a week inside Navi Mumbai’s Taloja jail. He was released only after the Supreme Court made an extraordinary intervention.
LIVE UPDATES on today’s big stories will appear below:
11:15 AM: Single-day rise of 23,067 new COVID-19 cases, 336 fatalities pushes India’s virus caseload to 1,01,46,845, death toll to 1,47,092: Govt. (PTI)
10:29 AM: Many farmers have thanked PM Modi for the new agriculture laws. We will double farmers’ income by 2022. The government is ready to talk and clear doubts of the farmers who are protesting. A solution can be found only through dialogue: Union Minister Anurag Thakur. (ANI)
09:37 AM: Alleged Violation of Securities Norms: SEBI imposes a Rs 25 crore fine on @ndtv and 1 crore each on @PrannoyRoyNDTV Roy and Radhika Roy. (Live Law)
Alleged Violation of Securities Norms: : SEBI imposes a Rs 25 crore fine on @ndtv and 1 crore each on @PrannoyRoyNDTV Roy and Radhika Roy. #NDTV pic.twitter.com/cyT48wB53d
— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) December 25, 2020