Times Now Accuses Arnab Of Stealing Sensitive, Confidential Data; Files FIR Against Republic TV Officials

Arnab Goswami’s Republic News Channel has come under severe attack from Bennett, Coleman & Co, which is the parent company of Times Now.

As per the statement received by us, Bennett, Coleman & Co (BCCL) has filed a FIR (First Investigation Report) against Arnab, who is the founder of Republic news channel, and journalist Prema Sridevi.

The charges are pretty serious: theft, infringing copyright information and more.

BCCL has filed the FIR at Azad Maidan Police Station in Mumbai, and the following sections of Indian Penal Code have been used for the FIR:

Sections 378, with sections 379, 403, 405, with sections 406, 409, 411, 414 and 418 of the Indian Penal Code, besides Section 66-B, 72 and 72-A of the IT Act, 2000.

These sections are used for: criminal breach of trust, theft, infringement of intellectual rights of BCCL.

There has been no reaction from Arnab as of now.

Before Republic channel was launched, Times Now had used legal ways to stop Arnab from using the phrase ‘Nation Wants To Know’, which Arnab had created while working at Times Now.

Is Arnab Culprit Of Stealing?

Republic News Channel was launched on May 6th, and on that same day, they broadcasted a sting operation on Ex-Bihar CM Lalu Prasad Yadav, wherein he was caught speaking with criminals and talking about how to manage the state.

A few days later, Republic fired another salvo, when they made a story based on a confidential conversation between Sunanda Pushkar, murdered wife of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and Sridevi.

Times Now has claimed that both of these tapes used by Republic belonged to them, and Arnab and his team has illegally, and unethically used these tapes for their own program.

Times of India said, “An internal inquiry by BCCL has established that these tapes were procured and in possession of Goswami and Sridevi while they were in the service of BCCL. BCCL confirmed filing a criminal complaint against Goswami and Sridevi.”

We are waiting for legal experts to comment on this matter; but prima facie, it seems Arnab and Republic News Channel can be in trouble over this one: Mainly because the time when these conversations concerning Lalu Prasad and Sunanda Pushkar happened, both Sridevi and Arnab were employees of Times Now.

And if they had ‘stolen’ those tapes and openly used on their new news channel, then it breaks several laws of the land.

We will keep you updated as the story unfolds. The nation, of course, wants to know the truth.

Here is the copy of the complaint made by Times Now.