TRP scam: Hansa Research moves Bombay HC, claims harassment by Crime Branch to make false statements against Republic TV

Hansa Research Group has moved the Bombay High Court seeking transfer of the probe into the TRP scam from the Mumbai Police Crime Branch to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) citing harassment faced by its employees to make false statements to suit the designs of the Crime Branch..In particular, Hansa has alleged that the Police have been adopting pressure tactics to coerce Hansa's employees to issue a statement that a document flashed as Hansa Report by Republic TV is a fake one. The report had been cited by Republic TV to claim that they are innocent in the TRP scam..The petition, moved by Hansa's Director Narasimhan K Swamy, CEO Praveen Omprakash and Nitin Kashinath Deokar, states that it was already explained to the police that Hansa is not in a position to adjudge whether or not the document flashed by Republic TV is fake. .The petitioners submit that they only know that Republic TV never applied to Hansa for a copy of the original internal report. The petitioners have pointed out that the telecast only showed extracts of the document purportedly claimed to be the Hansa research report on the TRP scam. .It is the petitioners' case that without comparing a physical copy of the document flashed by Republic TV to the original Hansa report, they cannot make any statement as sought by the Police. .Despite that, "the petitioners are continuously held at the Crime Branch for long hours and threatened with arrest and repeatedly pressed to make false statements," the plea states. .The petitioners add,"On all the ... mentioned days when information and questions on the process of vigilance and internal inquiry were asked to the officers of the Petitioner No.1, there was no regard to the time it takes to produce the documents and there was no written notice despite an earlier appeal to send the same so that the officers of Petitioner 1 can go prepared. This method of demand for information, lack of time given for response and pressure place on the officers of Petitioner No 1 continues till the time of the writing of this writ.".The petition names Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Vaze, Commissioner of Police Parambir Singh and ACP Shashank Sanbhlor as respondents..It has been alleged that Hansa Research employees have been repeatedly called to the Crime Branch office and made to wait for hours on end from October 12 onwards. .The petition also contends that such harassment is being meted out because they declined to give a false statement to the effect that the Hansa report flashed by Republic TV is fake. .The FIR in the TRP scam had named Vishal Vedprakash Bhandari, an ex-employee of Hansa against whom Hansa had filed the FIR. Bhandari had confessed to influencing certain homes to watch certain TV channels in order to boost their TRP. In their plea before the Bombay High Court, Hansa Research has now pointed out, ."This is a unique situation where the First informant in a the crime is being harassed by the investigating agency and treated like accused only for a false statement which is enacted from them. This is completely against law and procedure laid down by law. This is against the fundamental rights of a person and calls for immediate intervention by this Hon’ble High Court."."Petitioners are being used by Police and Media to attack each other".The highlights of the petition moved against the Crime Branch officers and other State authorities include:.The conduct, approach and manner displayed by the petitioners in reporting the TRP fraud to the police and adopting the procedure laid down by law speak volumes about their innocence, credibility and sincerity.Since October 12 till date, someone or the other from the office is attending to the police. Overall they have been detained for around 200 hours for no justifiable reason. There is hardly any progress that has taken place which necessitates the presence of the petitioners for so many days. The only object to call and detain the petitioners and other officer bearers is to pressurise and frustrate them so that they make a false statement according to the desire of Sachin Vaze for reasons best known to him.It is evident that the petitioners are being used by police and the media to attack each other. The petitioners are suffering collateral damage in this fight. All the harassment that has been caused is only to extract a statement, albeit a false one, that the Hansa report shown on Republic TV since October 10 is a fake one. The petitioners have repeatedly explained that it is not clear what the report is. Unless the report is physically shown to them so that it cane be compared to the original internal note, it is not possible.However, Vaze and his team are not ready to take anything short of a statement by the petitioners disowning the said purported report shown on Republic TV and thus are pressurising, threatening and harassing petitioners with their arrest and indefinite detention and seizure of their mobile phones, which is illegal and condemnable.The petitioners have already submitted before a City Civil Court that they are not sure which document is being flashed on Republic TV as the Hansa Report. They cannot take a contrary stand now to suit the designs of the Crime Branch. On October 16, a suit was filed in the city civil court by Hansa Research for a declaration that Republic TV has no right to refer to any internal document by Hansa, or the document termed the ‘Hansa Report.’ The suit was rejected on October 21. An investigating agency cannot force or obtain a statement from anyone by adopting coercive tactics, and much less a false statement. The deliberate action to do so clearly exposes the malafide intention on part of Vaze and his team.There have been continuous threats to detain and arrest the petitioners fro being hand in glove with Republic TV.Vaze and the Crime Branch officers have started a campaign of making media statements based on false and unverified facts. The harassment and pressure tactics is unjustified, improper and highly condemnable..In view of these, among other submissions, the petitioners have made the following prayers:Transfer the investigation in FIR 143 of 2020 (lodged in relation to the false TRP scam) to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)Stay the Crime Branch probe in the matter Restrain the police from acting coercively against Hansa and its employees and to issue directions to restrain the police from issuing threats to them