Kerala High Court denies interim bail to Reporter TV boss Anto Augustine in liquor case

The managing director of Malayalam news channel Reporter TV, Anto Augustine, will remain behind bars after the Kerala High Court refused to grant him interim bail following his arrest over a large haul of liquor found at his family home.

The legal trouble began on Wednesday when a police Special Investigation Team (SIT) arrived to search Augustine's ancestral house in Muttil, Wayanad. The detectives were not looking for alcohol; they were investigating allegations of financial fraud, GST evasion, and foreign exchange violations tied to a failed commercial bid to bring Lionel Messi and the Argentina national football team to Kerala. Augustine’s Reporter Broadcasting Company was the primary sponsor of the cancelled event.

Instead of just financial records, investigators found a substantial collection of alcohol. Excise officials were called in and seized roughly 67 litres of liquor and wine. The stash exceeded the state's legal limits for personal possession, prompting the Excise Department to arrest Augustine early on Thursday morning.

He was charged under several sections of the Kerala Abkari Act, which penalises the illegal transport, possession, and sale of liquor. The seized alcohol included more than 43 litres of foreign-made foreign liquor, alongside foreign and domestic wines.

The fight for bail

Augustine’s attempt to secure an immediate release has failed at every level of the court system so far.

On Friday morning, Judicial First Class Magistrate Adheena Biju in Sultan Bathery dismissed his initial bail application, having already remanded him to judicial custody until 30 September.

Augustine's legal team immediately escalated the matter to the Kerala High Court, seeking urgent interim bail. His lawyers argued that Augustine did not even control the property where the alcohol was found, claiming the house had been sold in 2022 under debt recovery proceedings.

However, the state’s Director General of Prosecution opposed the application. The prosecution presented tax records indicating that Augustine had paid taxes on the Wayanad property as recently as this year.

Justice Kauser Edappagath declined to grant interim relief. The judge noted that because a magistrate was already considering custody applications, it would be improper for the High Court to step in with interim bail.

Addressing the ownership dispute, Justice Kauser observed that a tax payment does not automatically prove possession. "Suppose this is sold, sale means possession follows," the judge said. "Maybe they might have paid tax, that doesn't mean he is in possession of the property."

The judge also raised questions about why the state's top prosecutor was personally appearing to oppose a routine excise bail application, noting it was highly unusual.

What happens next

On Saturday, Magistrate Adheena Biju granted the Excise Department one-day custody of Augustine for questioning, turning down their request for a four-day remand.

Augustine is currently being held at the Wayanad district jail in Mananthavady. The Kerala High Court has scheduled a full hearing for his formal bail application on Tuesday, 22 September, when the state must present its detailed instructions.