Kerala High Court denies bail to Reporter TV editor Anto Augustine in liquor seizure case

The Kerala High Court on Friday refused bail to Anto Augustine, managing editor of Reporter TV, who was arrested by excise officials earlier this week in connection with the seizure of liquor beyond permissible limits. He will remain in custody at least until September 22.

Justice Kauser Edappagath, hearing the appeal against a magistrate's order denying bail, posted the matter for Tuesday. The Judicial First Class Magistrate-I, Sulthan Bathery, had earlier rejected his bail plea, holding that he was not entitled to discretionary relief at this stage of the investigation.

During the hearing, the petitioner's counsel argued that the house from which the liquor was seized had already been sold in 2022 through proceedings under the SARFAESI Act, and that he no longer had possession of the building. The Director General of Prosecution, however, told the court that Mr. Augustine had paid tax for the building in March 2026.

The prosecution also informed the court that an application seeking his police custody will be taken up by the trial court on Saturday.

The trial court had accepted the submission of the Assistant Public Prosecutor that the investigation was at a nascent stage. It noted the nature and quantity of the alleged recovery, the stage of the probe, the criminal antecedents attributed to the petitioner and other circumstances in the case records. The material before the court, it held, provided a prima facie basis to indicate that the building from which the liquor was seized was in the petitioner's possession, and that he may have had dominion or control over the contraband allegedly recovered.

The Kalpetta Excise Circle Inspector is said to have found 43.850 litres of Foreign Made Foreign Liquor, 1.224 litres of Foreign Made Foreign Wine, 6.250 litres of wine sourced from Bevco, 750 ml of Indian Made Foreign Liquor stated to have been purchased from a canteen, and 12.750 litres of liquid containing alcohol at the house at Karappuzha in the Muttill grama panchayat, Wayanad.

The recovery was made during an investigation into alleged financial misappropriation in a failed attempt by Reporter Broadcasting Company, which runs Reporter TV, to bring the Argentine football team led by former captain Lionel Messi to Kochi for a friendly match.

Search operations were conducted simultaneously on September 16 at Mr. Augustine's house and at the office of the Reporter Broadcasting Company. Mr. Augustine was arraigned as the first accused, while the company was named the second accused.