After getting vindicated in the Fake TRP case, Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of Republic Media Network Arnab Goswami described the case as a “larger conspiracy to stop Republic”. He added that the rival media networks and politicians didn’t want the network to survive and “actually finish the Republic Media network”. According to him, this was a do-or-die battle for them.
Notably, on Wednesday (6th March), a Mumbai court accepted an application filed by the Mumbai police seeking closure of the case filed by the Uddhav Thackeray government. Subsequently, the court ordered the withdrawal of the fake TRP case against Arnab Goswami and Republic TV.
“A pliable Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh was used in the fake TRP case and Sachin Waze was absolutely nothing but the worst kind of criminal in uniform”, triumphant Arnab Goswami said after coming on air following the court ruling.
“A pliable Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh was used in the fake TRP case and Sachin Waze was absolutely nothing but the worst kind of criminal in uniform”: Arnab Goswami after Republic TV wins the fake TRP scam case pic.twitter.com/1dxtrAbdrm
— OpIndia.com (@OpIndia_com) March 6, 2024
Describing it as a “very big day”, Arnab Goswami noted, “I had the belief that lies don’t win, fabrication don’t win, conspiracies don’t win, hard work, truth, determination, will power wins. I had faith in my team, truth, and above all that faith in the Lord almighty that against all conspiracies the truth will come out.”
He added that the tragedy is that all the people in the media, and politicians had conspired at that point in time to bring the Republic to a grinding halt. All media industry knew that this was fake, they had no shred of doubt about it, even my biggest enemies, behind closed doors, noted that this was an attempt fixing me and fixing Republic and stopping the growth of the Republic using fabrication, illegal means, using falsehoods, using pliable police commissioner, Goswami said.
He highlighted that the state (Maharashtra government) came before the court and gave an application that there has been no shred of evidence, we have been able to find in this case, the case should be closed as the evidence was fabricated and coerced and threatened to give statement against Republic. “Witnesses were threatened, coerced”, the court said and accepted an application filed by Mumbai police seeking closure of the TRP scam case and closed case.
Accompanied by Arnab, Republic Journalist Abhishek Kapoor described the case as a ‘hate crime’ against the Republic and personally against Arnab Goswami.
“I was flabbergasted over the manner in which the case can be fabricated, how can a Police Commissioner come out to say that Arnab Goswami pays Rs 500 to people to watch his network? Nobody believed it, people supported me and when I was put in jail, people supported me”, Goswami added noting that he never felt the load of the case as he knew the truth was on their side and they would win.
He, however, noted that they waited for it as it was the technicality that was to be done. Regarding the timing of the ‘Fake TRP’ case against Republic, Arnab pointed out that the network had to fight with the Uddhav Thackeray government and was reporting on the Sushant Singh Rajput case, Palghar lynching case. He emphasised that they wanted to stop Republic as they had built a powerful enemy in the MVA government while the rest of the media was looking at it as commerce as their revenues, profits, etc were hit by Republic Network.
“Even in 2024, we are the only media network run by a journalist and nobody has lever on us”, Arnab asserted and asked all those media organisations who ran falsehoods to put out the truth now that it has come out in the open.
While interacting with his Republic media network employees, Arnab recalled how in October 2020, Mumbai CP Param Bir Singh, Param Bir Singh addressed a press conference which led to negative media reportage against him and Republic TV.
He noted that an Aaj Tak anchor had put out his face accusing him of being a ‘TRP Chor’ and the entire Delhi media had surrounded his house with cameras saying they faked TRP because by then Republic Hindi had become the number 1 in the Hindi news slot.
#RepublicWinsTRPCase | Republic Wins TRP Case, False Charges Fall Flat
— Republic (@republic) March 6, 2024
REPUBLIC WINS: Mumbai Court today accepted an application filed by Mumbai police seeking withdrawal of the fake TRP Scam case of 2020 against Republic Media Network.#ArnabGoswami #Republic pic.twitter.com/tCByVScZ6g
While referring to the court order in this case, Arnab emphasised that it is not a partial or ordinary withdrawal. He added that the state came and said in the court, which has never happened in history, that we coerced and threatened the people, and through threats, we tried to get 164 statements against Arnab.
He asserted that this has never happened that the state has admitted coercion, fabrication, and false evidence, and that people were tortured, unheard things, and everything was done to bring evidence against the Republic and spoil their name.
“I want you all to below the trumpet, we have built this network not by scamming or cheating but with hard work. We have fought this case for 3.5 years in court,” he told the gathering of Republic network employees.
He highlighted how despite the headwinds, Republic launched two channels. He added that they wanted to leave the Republic without money and without capital, they wanted to freeze their network’s accounts, to send a message to journalists that a journalist can’t run a channel or be able to give salary to his employees. He also recalled how letters were written to friends and advertisers of Republic Media Network asking them to not advertise on their network.
“The game has just begun,” shouted Arnab and his team regarding the verdict and the fight.
‘Fake TRP’ scam which has now been closed by the court
In October 2020, Mumbai CP Param Bir Singh, in an explosive statement, accused Republic TV of ‘TRP manipulation’. In a witch hunt attack against Republic TV and Arnab Goswami, the Mumbai Commissioner had claimed, that the channel had illegally paid some households to keep some channels on even if they were not at home to boost their TRP.
The Mumbai Police had filed a complaint against three channels namely Fakt Marathi, Box Cinema, and Republic-TV for manipulating television rating points (TRPs).
After 3.5 years, today, the Mumbai court has closed the case noting that “Witnesses were threatened, coerced”.
