Mumbai Police asked not to harass Hansa; HC says employees to be called only 2 days/week

The Bombay High Court has asked Mumbai Police to not call employees of Hansa Research everyday as it heard arguments in TRP scam on Saturday. The court was hearing the plea by Hansa Research, the company that BARC-affiliate that conducts the Television Rating Points measurement that gives an idea of TV viewership. The company had filed a writ petition expressed its displeasure over the repeated summoning and on being forced to give statements against Republic Media Network in the case, further outlining the witch-hunt against the network. Essentially, the complainant in the case had alleged that it was being harassed and coerced in the resulting probe.

READ: As Hansa Details Witch-hunt Against Republic In HC; BJP's Bhatia Slams MVA On Power Misuse

Bombay HC gives Hansa Research relief 

Senior Advocate C S Vaidyanathan representing Hansa Research in the Bombay HC argued that Mumbai Police was calling their employees for questioning, forcing them to give statements implicating Republic TV.

"In case they want any document, let them issue summons under Section 91 CrPC. They cant put us under pressure by calling us everyday,” he said.

While the advocate for Mumbai Police stated that Hansa Research was playing ‘hide and seek’ with the police, the HC gave  Hansa Research a favourable decision. 

READ: Hansa Seeks TRP Case Probe Transfer To CBI; Writ Petition To Bombay High Court Here

Justice Shinde told the advocate representing Mumbai Police, "The person(Hansa) should not be unnecessarily harassed. Make arrangements for calling them only on specific dates. Get instructions on that." 

"We have no difficulty in calling them(Hansa) only for two days in a week," responded the lawyer representing Mumbai Police after a short while, which was noted by the bench. The case will next be heard on November 25.

Hansa moves court 

Hansa Research Group Private Limited, the research service provider on whose complaint an FIR was registered in the alleged TRP case, has moved the Bombay High Court accusing the officers of Mumbai Police Crime Branch of pressurising its employees to "disown" a report, which was used by the Republic TV to declare that it was not among the channels named in the matter.

In the petition against Sachin Vaze, Param Bir Singh, State of Maharashtra and others, the four petitioners – Hansa Research, its director Narsimhan K Swamy, CEO Praveen Nijhara and deputy GM Nitin Deokar – contended that since October 12, several employees of the company have been repeatedly called to the Crime Branch office and were pressured to make a “false statement” disowning the Hansa report telecast on Republic TV on October 10. 

In its petition, Hansa Research Group has said that encounter cop Sachin Vaze was threatening Hansa members to implicate Republic TV, adding details of how its members had to go undergo illegal detention of not categorically identifying report shown on Republic TV as a fake one. The Hansa Group has also alleged that the Promoter-director of the companies was threatened with arrest on October 26.

READ: As Arnab Spends Second Night In Custody; Hansa, OpIndia & CJM Facts Crumble Maha Govt Lies

READ: Hansa Takes Param Bir, Vaze & Maha Govt To Court; Alleges Threats To Implicate Republic