Thiruvananthapuram, September 18, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala on Friday said the Congress-led UDF government would not pressure or intimidate journalists, maintaining that the action against Reporter TV Managing Director Anto Augustine was unrelated to the channel’s journalistic work.
“The media is free to do its job and we are very clear about it. The UDF government will never ever put pressure on the media through intimidation,” Chennithala told reporters.
His remarks came a day after Augustine was arrested by the Excise Department in an Abkari case. The Judicial First Class Magistrate Court at Sultan Bathery rejected his bail plea on Friday after remanding him in judicial custody for 14 days on Thursday.
Chennithala referred to incidents involving journalists during the previous decade under the Pinarayi Vijayan government and alleged that several journalists had faced pressure over their reporting.
“Many journalists during the previous one decade came under duress with regard to news. What happened with Reporter TV was nothing to do with news,” he said.
The minister said police and investigating agencies had the required documents and legal authority when they entered the Reporter TV office as part of an investigation.
Augustine’s arrest followed searches conducted by a Special Investigation Team probing alleged financial irregularities linked to the proposed visit of football star Lionel Messi and the Argentina team to Kerala. The SIT searched the Reporter Broadcasting Company office as well as premises associated with Augustine and his brothers in Kochi and Wayanad.
The Excise Department subsequently arrested Augustine in connection with the seizure of liquor from his ancestral house at Vazhavatta in Wayanad.
The Kerala government has maintained that the Excise case against Augustine and the SIT investigation into the proposed Messi event are separate matters.
Chennithala said the SIT, headed by ADGP P. Vijayan, was constituted on the basis of a report submitted by the Sports Secretary and handed over to Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan.
“The SIT is doing its job according to law. It has acted only in accordance with the prevailing laws. The Home Minister does not intervene,” Chennithala said.
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