TRP case: Kerala Police forms SIT; MIB says report from DGP awaited

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) on Wednesday said it is still awaiting a preliminary report from the Director General of Police (DGP), Kerala, on the alleged television rating points (TRP) manipulation case involving a Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) employee and a regional news channel from the state.

In a written response to an unstarred Lok Sabha question (No. 849), Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs Dr L Murugan said the Ministry has “taken note of the recent media reports” alleging that a television channel was engaged in manipulation of television ratings by bribing a BARC India employee.

“In view of the allegations, a preliminary report, including details of action taken on the FIR reportedly filed in the matter, was sought from the DGP, Kerala Police. The report is still awaited,” Murugan stated in the reply.

The question was raised by Congress MP K Sudhakaran, who sought details on whether the Government had received the preliminary report from Kerala Police, the findings of the probe so far, the status of BARC’s forensic audit, and whether the Government would suspend or revoke the channel’s uplinking and downlinking permissions given the severity of the allegations.

SIT formed by Kerala Police

Murugan said the Kerala Police has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the case. However, the Ministry did not share details of any findings, citing that the report from the state police is still pending.

The Ministry also confirmed that BARC has initiated a forensic investigation through an independent agency into the conduct of its senior personnel involved in the case. “The report from BARC is still awaited,” the Minister said.

The response indicates that both key fact-finding exercises, one by the Kerala Police and the other by BARC, are currently underway, with the Centre yet to receive formal updates.

On the question of whether the Government has initiated proceedings to suspend or revoke the uplinking and downlinking permissions of the channel in question, Murugan clarified that permissions are governed under the “Policy Guidelines for Uplinking and Downlinking of Television Channels dated 09.11.2022.”

However, the reply did not confirm whether any action has been initiated under the 2022 policy, suggesting that the Ministry is awaiting further inputs from investigative agencies before taking any regulatory steps.

Policy overhaul on ratings in pipeline

The Lok Sabha response also reiterated that television ratings in India are governed by the “Policy Guidelines for Television Rating Agencies, 2014,” and that the Government is in the process of amending these rules.

Murugan noted that on July 2, 2025, the Government published a draft amendment for public consultation. After examining inputs, a revised draft amendment was published on November 6, 2025, again for public consultation.

According to the reply, the proposed amendments aim to “enable fair competition, generate more accurate and representative data, and ensure that the TRP system reflects the diverse and evolving media consumption habits of viewers from across the country.”

However, the Ministry did not provide a specific timeline for final notification of the amendments, one of the key points raised by Sudhakaran, indicating that the consultation process is still ongoing.