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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday seized assets worth more than Rs 32 crore from some Maharashtra television channels in an investigation into money laundering in the notorious television TRP irregularities case. All of these assets were confiscated under the Prevention of Money laundering Act (PMLA), while all the assets belonged to Marathi, Box Cinema and Mahamovie channels.
The ED said in a statement that the confiscated assets included commercial and residential properties in Mumbai, Indore, Delhi and Gurgaon. The ED, which is investigating the case, said two of the channels could reach up to 25 per cent viewers in Mumbai, while only 12 per cent watched the other channel.
ED filed a money laundering case against the ED channels after a lengthy investigation by the Mumbai Police into alleged misappropriation of television rating points (TRP). “These channels have raised a lot of revenue for advertising,” he said.
The Bombay High Court on Wednesday questioned whether the case would go ahead as the Mumbai police are yet to prosecute anyone in the TRP irregularities case, while ED’s statement took a new turn in the case. Although the Bombay High Court focused only on Republic TV and its editor-in-chief, the ED’s actions prove the veracity of the Mumbai Police’s TRP scam allegations.
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