The Supreme Court has refused to entertain Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami’s petition against summons issued by the Mumbai Police.
A bench headed by Justice DY Chandrachud asked him to approach the Bombay High Court instead.
Justice D Y Chandrachud, Indu Malhotra and Indira Banerjee said the high court has been working throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and the media group should approach it as its office is located at Worli in Mumbai.
Senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for the media house, expressed apprehension about the ongoing probe saying "of late, there is a tendency that commissioners are giving interviews".
Last week, Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh had claimed that Republic TV and two Marathi channels– Box Cinema and Fakt Marathi – manipulated TRP for better advertisement revenue.
On Wednesday, Republic TV’s executive editor Niranjan Narayanswamy and senior executive editor Abhishek Kapoor appeared before the Mumbai crime branch for recording statements in the fake TRP racket case. The crime branch has so far arrested five persons in the case.
The alleged fake TRP scam came to light when rating agency Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) filed a complaint through Hansa Research Group, saying certain television channels were rigging TRP numbers.
