Mumbai: Bennett Coleman & Co. Ltd (BCCL), known as the Times Group, India’s largest media conglomerate, has filed a criminal complaint against the former TV anchor of Times Now Arnab Goswami and reporter Prema Sridevi. They are now with Republic TV.

The complaint, lodged at the Azad Maidan Police Station, Mumbai, on Tuesday, related to an expose on Bihar’s political leader Lalu Prasad Yadav and another expose on the case concerning late Sunanda Pushkar (wife of Congress leader Shashi Tharoor) and their house help Narayanan.

The complaint has been accepted by the Mumbai Police and the matter is under investigation.

Goswami had become a household name thanks to Times Now when his News Hour programme aired fierce panel discussions.

In a press statement released on Wednesday, the BCCL said that Goswami, ex editor-in-chief of Times Now had “on May 6 2017 launched his English News channel Republic TV. On the first day of its launch, Republic TV carried an expose of Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav in which audio tapes containing phone conversations between the ex-chief minister of Bihar and Shahabuddin allegedly while he was still in prison were played out.”

Another expose was done on Republic TV by Goswami on May 8, in which audio tapes of phone conversations between Prema Sridevi (ex News Reporter of Times Now) and the late Pushkar and Narayanan were broadcast.

“Both these exposes displayed material (in the form of audio tapes of phone conversations) that was procured and accessed while Mr Goswami and Ms Prema were in the employment of Times Now. An internal inquiry has clearly pointed out that these tapes were procured and in the possession of Mr Goswami and Ms Prema Sridevi while they were in the service of BCCL.”

BCCL also said that the duo had on Republic TV admitted and claimed that the audio conversation in Pushkar case aired on May 8, “was in their possession for the last two years when they were in their previous organisation i.e. Times Now.”

The release said the two have wilfully, deliberately and with knowledge converted for their benefit and used the aforesaid intellectual property of Times Now and thereby dishonestly misappropriated the said intellectual property, thereby committing the offence of criminal misappropriation of property punishable under Section 403 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and several other provisions under applicable laws.

“BCCL has therefore taken steps to defend its rights and protect its intellectual property against such misuse.”

In its complaint to the police, the BCCL said that since Goswami and Sridevi were on employment with Times Now for over a decade, “the Times Now channel rightly and justifiably apprehends that the accused along with others known and unknown as well as the promoters and directors of M/s ARG Outlier Media Asianet News Pvt Ltd are and continue to remain in dishonest possession of similarly stolen intellectual property either in the form of digital or non digital/print information in electronic or any other form, which they shall over a period of time dishonestly air on Republic TV.”

Recovery of such material is a must, the complaint stated and sought, upon registration of the First Information Report, the custody of the two “for the purpose of investigation.”