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The Kerala High Court on Tuesday, September 22 granted regular bail to Reporter TV managing director Anto Augustine in the Excise case registered over the alleged possession of excess liquor at his residence in Wayanad.
Justice Kauser Edappagath granted bail subject to conditions.
The case was registered by the Excise Department’s Kalpetta station under Sections 55(a), 55(i) and 58 of the Kerala Abkari Act. The allegations relate to the possession of liquor in quantities beyond what is legally permitted.
The Excise Department has alleged that officials recovered 43.850 litres of foreign-made foreign liquor, 1.224 litres of foreign-made foreign wine, 6.250 litres of Kerala State Beverages Corporation (KSBC) wine, 750 ml of Indian-made foreign liquor said to have been bought from a canteen, and 12.750 litres of another liquid containing alcohol.
Anto was arrested on September 17 and subsequently remanded in judicial custody. His bail plea before the magistrate was rejected, following which the court allowed the police 24 hours of custody.
While considering his bail plea, the High Court took note of the fact that the recovery had already been made in the case. The court also noted that Anto had no criminal antecedents.
The arrest followed a search conducted by a Special Investigation Team at Anto’s residence as part of a separate investigation into alleged financial irregularities linked to an initiative to bring footballer Lionel Messi and the Argentina national football team to Kerala.
The SIT was investigating Anto in that case when the liquor was allegedly found at his family home in Vazhavatta, Wayanad. The discovery was subsequently brought to the attention of the Excise Department, which registered the Abkari case.
Anto had maintained after his arrest that he does not consume alcohol. He had also said that he had handed over the documents sought by investigators in connection with the financial case.
The High Court’s Tuesday order relates to the Abkari case, while the detailed conditions attached to his bail are expected to be known once the order is made available.
