Wayanad (Kerala), September 18, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Reporter TV Managing Director Anto Augustine will remain in judicial custody after a Judicial First Class Magistrate Court in Sulthan Bathery on Friday rejected his bail plea in an excise case concerning the alleged possession of liquor beyond the permissible limit.
Augustine was arrested by the Kerala Excise Department early Thursday after around 67 litres of liquor and wine were seized from his ancestral house at Vazhavatta in Wayanad during a search conducted as part of a separate Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe.
The Bathery court had on Thursday remanded Augustine to 14 days in judicial custody, following which he was to be shifted to the District Jail at Mananthavady.
The excise case was registered under Sections 55(a), 55(i) and 58 of the Kerala Abkari Act. Excise officials said the seized stock included foreign-made liquor and wine, as well as other liquor allegedly not authorised for sale in India.
An Excise team led by Assistant Commissioner Baiju reached the Reporter TV office in Kalamassery at around 2.30 a.m. on Thursday and arrested Augustine. He was subsequently taken to Wayanad and produced before the court.
The arrest came shortly after the SIT, which is investigating alleged financial irregularities linked to the proposed visit of football star Lionel Messi and the Argentina team to Kerala, conducted searches at the Reporter Broadcasting Company office and properties linked to Augustine and his brothers in Kochi and Wayanad.
The SIT searches, which continued for several hours, resulted in the seizure of documents and other records, including material related to the Kaloor stadium. Investigators are also examining financial transactions associated with the proposed event.
The police investigation into the proposed Messi-Argentina event is separate from the excise case being heard by the Bathery court.
A separate tax-related inquiry has also raised allegations of financial irregularities involving Reporter Broadcasting Company.
The timing of Augustine’s arrest, coming hours after the SIT searches, has drawn criticism and questions over the action against the head of a news organisation.
Augustine has denied the liquor allegations. He has also said that he cooperated with the investigation into the proposed Messi event and handed over the documents sought by investigators.
The Kerala Police SIT is probing alleged cheating and financial irregularities surrounding the proposed football event, while the Excise Department case relates specifically to the alleged possession of liquor beyond the legally permissible quantity.
FOLLOW NOW
