Kerala High Court grants bail to Reporter TV MD Anto Augustine

The Kerala High Court on Tuesday granted bail to Anto Augustine, the managing director of Malayalam news channel Reporter TV, in an Abkari case [Anto Augustine v State of Kerala]

Justice Kauser Edappagath passed the order on a bail plea filed by Augustine who was arrested over seizure of liquor beyond permissible limits from his residence in Wayanad.

During the previous hearing, the Court had questioned whether Augustine could be connected to the property from which the alleged liquor was recovered, particularly in view of the claim that the property had been sold during a bank auction in 2022.

The judge had asked the prosecution to produce material to establish that Augustine was actually in position of the property.

The Court today granted bail after hearing Augustine and State.

Augustine was arrested by the Excise department on September 17, a day after a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Kerala Police searched his offices and residences.

The search was conducted as part of a probe into alleged financial irregularities connected with the failed attempt to bring the Argentinian national team and footballer Lionel Messi to Kerala for which Augustine's Reporter Broadcasting Company was the main commercial sponsor.

During a raid at his family home in Wayanad, authorities recovered roughly 67 litres of foreign liquor and wine, which exceeds the legally permissible limit for personal possession.

The Excise Department arrested Augustine in the early hours of September 17.

He was booked under Sections 55(i), 55(a) and 58 of the Kerala Abkari Act, which penalise illegal import, export, transport, sale, and illicit possession of liquor or intoxicating drugs.

His bail application was dismissed by a magistrate court on September 18, following which he approached the High Court.

In his bail plea, Augustine argued that the property from which the liquor was seized was sold during a bank auction in 2022, and was no longer in his possession.

The plea also alleged flaws in the manner in which the search and arrest was conducted.

He said that there was no need for custodial interrogation in this case.

Augustine was represented by Senior Counsel S Sreekumar along with advocates MP Shameem Ahamed and Muhammed Firdouz AV.

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