coerce its employees to issue a statement that a document flashed as Hansa Report by Republic TV is a fake document. Plea states that the petitioners are continuously held at the Crime Branch for long hours and threatened with arrest and are repeatedly pressed to make a false statement. Police officers were listed as respondents in the petition. Supreme court of India denied rejected the plea from the channel to protect its employees from arrest. On 13 December Republic TV CEO was arrested in Mumbai. Leaked WhatsApp Conversation The WhatsApp conversations between Republic TV executive editor Arnab Goswami and former CEO of Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) Partho Dasgupta, which were leaked into the public forum, has brought to the fore evidence of alleged collusion to influence TV ratings. The purported WhatsApp conversations between the two, which are a component of the charge-sheet submitted by the police in the court, reveal conspicuously discernible misuse of official position by Partho Dasgupta to avail his "friend" Arnab Goswami. The TRP scam came to light in October last year when BARC filed a complaint through Hansa Research Group, alleging that certain television channels, including Republic TV, were rigging their TRP numbers. In the purported conversations, the ex-CEO of BARC is visually perceived not just guiding Arnab on how to consolidate the position of Republic TV and Republic Bharat, but withal seeking favours in reciprocation in the form of "media advisor kind of position with the PMO". These WhatsApp conversations have gone viral on gregarious media with people expressing shock and dismay at the alleged connivance between Partho Dasgupta and Arnab Goswami to manipulate the system. Additionally, the alleged claims made by Arnab Goswami over his reach and influence with the regime and his conspicuously discernible misuse of this to further his business fascinates have evoked vigorous reactions on social media and in the political spectrum. Allegations of Goswami having prior knowledge of the Balakot airstrike and using this knowledge for viewership gain have also caused controversy, prompting Maharashtra authorities to launch an investigation. See also Effective frequency Gross rating point Reach (advertising) TRP scam References Audience measurement Advertising