News Broadcasting
Former BARC CEO, COO aided Republic TV in rigging TRPs: Police chargesheet
NEW DELHI: In the supplementary chargesheet filed in the alleged TRP manipulation case, the Mumbai police has once again reiterated that former BARC CEO Partho Dasgupta was the mastermind behind the whole scam. He allegedly used his position to aid ARG Outlier (Republic TV) in gaming viewership ratings.
The chargesheet further states that ARG Outlier Media CEO Vikas Khanchandani, along with COO Priya Mukherjee, carried out transactions in order to ensure that more viewers watch their channels. Their WhatsApp group chats, reportedly, support this allegation.
It also mentions that former BARC COO Romil Ramgarhia also aided Republic channels in manipulating the TRPs. Ramgarhia allegedly conducted internal inquiries into BARC through an independent company 'Acquisitory Risk Consulting Pvt Ltd' which gave him and his co-accused insight into the working of TRP calculation. The investigation also cites emails found in Ramgarhia’s work account which discussed how the BARC data is aiding Republic channels through rigged ratings.
The chargesheet also called out Republic TV for flouting TRAI regulations by paying cable operators and MSOs for using the 'dual/promotional local channel number' to telecast their news channels on more than one channel.
Along with these three charges, the supplementary chargesheet names 59 witnesses, which includes 12 expert witnesses (forensic auditors, computer forensics auditors).
The Mumbai police has reportedly also found some evidence against general entertainment channels and two Telugu regional channels as well, which they will be investigating further.
The crime branch filed its first charge sheet in November 2020 which included details of the first twelve accused.
The fake TRP case was filed in October after Nitin Deokar, an official of Hansa Research, an agency that placed the ratings metres, filed a complaint alleging the process was being manipulated.
After investigating the matter, the Mumbai police said Republic TV – which claims to have the highest ratings – was tweaking TRPs to get high advertising rates by bribing the households where the monitoring machines were set.
The channel has denied any wrongdoing and claimed the accusations were an instance of vendetta by the Mumbai police following their clash over the Sushant Singh Rajput case.
News Broadcasting
Kamlesh Singh receives Haldi Ghati Award from MMCF
India Today Group editor honoured for three decades of journalism at Udaipur ceremony.
MUMBAI- Kamlesh Singh just turned a lifetime of sharp words into a shiny shield because when journalism wakes up a society, even the Maharana of Mewar wants to pin a medal on it.
The Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation (MMCF) conferred its prestigious Haldi Ghati Award on Kamlesh Singh, a senior editor at the India Today Group, during a ceremony in Udaipur on 15 March 2026. The national award, instituted in 1981-82, recognises “work of permanent value that initiates an awakening in society through the medium of journalism.”
Singh, who leads several editorial initiatives including Aaj Tak Radio, the Teen Taal community and The Lallantop, was presented the honour by Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar, Managing Trustee of MMCF. The citation highlighted his three decades of contributions to Indian media, innovations in digital journalism, mentoring young reporters, and his popular podcast persona “Tau” on Teen Taal, which fosters thoughtful public discourse.
The Haldi Ghati Award, named after the historic Battle of Haldighati symbolising valour and resilience, is one of four national awards given annually by MMCF. Past recipients include Tavleen Singh, Piyush Pandey and Raj Chengappa.
Other honourees this year included Padma Vibhushan Pt Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Vedamurti Devvrat Rekhe, Treeman of India Marimuthu Yoganathan, Vir Chakra Capt Rizwan Malik, and US-based researcher Molly Emma Aitken, who received the Colonel James Tod Award for contributions to understanding Mewar’s spirit and values.
In an era where headlines often shout louder than substance, the MMCF quietly reminded everyone that real journalism isn’t about noise, it’s about the quiet, persistent work that stirs society awake, one thoughtful story at a time.
