Orders on the bail application of Partho Dasgupta, the former CEO of Broadcast Audience Research Council, who was arrested in an alleged Television Rating Points scam case last month, are about to be passed after hearing arguments of both sides on his bail plea on Tuesday.
The objection of Mumbai Police for his release came in reference to the WhatsApp chats between Partho and Arnab Goswami, the editor-in-chief of Republic TV that is available in public. A charge sheet annexed to this WhatsApp chat was filed by the Mumbai police last week.
In the sessions, special public prosecutor Shirish Hiray informed the court about the proximity of relations between Arnab and Partho via a specific section of the chat wherein the former is offering to negotiate with the Prime Minister’s office on the latter’s behalf.
According to Hiray, this indicated how Partho was an “influential person.” And how releasing him on bail could lead to the meddling of evidence as well as a witness. Hiray also claimed to the court how manipulation of TRP amounts to offenses under the section 409 and 420 of the Indian Penal Code.
The reply given to this by Dasgupta’s lawyers was that the probe related to him had already been completed by a supplementary charge sheet that was filed against him. Moreover, his electronic devices have been seized and the bank accounts are also under the freeze.
Apart from this, the court was also told how the advertisers were cheated because of alleged manipulation and how they were predicting their expenses on the basis of TRP. To which Dasgupta’s lawyer argued how there had been zero complaints of advertisers to date. A soft excuse given by the lawyers was how Dasgupta had fallen unconscious in the jail because of a rise in his blood sugar levels last Friday. After which he was taken to the ICU of JJ Hospital on Saturday, and how keeping him in custody could lead to a life-threatening diabetic coma.
Having heard both sides, the court’s decision of whether to grant Dasgupta bail in this case or not is much awaited.