On Wednesday, a Mumbai Court granted the application filed by the Mumbai Police, permitting the withdrawal of the 2020 TRP Scam Case, in which Arnab Goswami, the Editor-in-Chief of Republic TV, was implicated as an accused.

Metropolitan Magistrate LS Padhen approved the application filed by Special Public Prosecutor Shishir Hiray, who represented the Mumbai Police, for the withdrawal of the case.

Hiray submitted that neither the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India, nor any advertisers had lodged complaints regarding any offense being committed.

Moreover, he stressed that allowing the proceedings to continue would result in the unwarranted expenditure of judicial time and government resources. The application seeking withdrawal was bolstered by reports from the Enforcement Directorate, which underscored the presence of contradictory statements from witnesses in the FIR lodged by the Mumbai Police.

The case was initially registered against 22 individuals, including Arnab Goswami, in 2020 during the tenure of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government. Allegations were made that payments were orchestrated to the household panels responsible for measuring TRP (Television Rating Points).

During the interrogation, it was revealed that homeowners had admitted to receiving payments to ensure that certain TV channels remained switched on, even if they were not actively being watched.

In November 2020, the Mumbai Crime Branch submitted a chargesheet alleging that Republic TV had profited from the scam. Subsequently, in June 2021, another chargesheet was filed, this time naming Arnab Goswami as an accused.

The application further clarified that the state home department decided to withdraw the case following its discovery of contradictions in the statements provided by witnesses during the investigation conducted by the Mumbai Police.