No bail for Anto Augustine; to remain in custody in liquor case

Sultan Bathery: A court in Sultan Bathery on Friday dismissed the bail petition of Anto Augustine, Managing Director of Malayalam news television channel Reporter, in a case registered after liquor exceeding the permissible limit was seized from his ancestral house.

Sultan Bathery Judicial First Class Magistrate Adheena Biju rejected the bail plea in the case registered by the Excise Department under the Abkari Act.

Augustine, Managing Director of Reporter Broadcasting Company (RBC), was arrested on Thursday after a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing alleged irregularities surrounding a failed football event sponsored by the company found liquor bottles at his ancestral home.

The SIT subsequently handed over details of the seizure to the Excise Department, which registered a case under the Abkari Act and arrested Augustine.

He was remanded in judicial custody until September 30 and taken to Wayanad district jail in Mananthavady.

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The court had heard Augustine’s bail plea on Thursday. During the hearing, Augustine claimed that he was unaware of the liquor bottles found at the house.

The Excise Department opposed bail, stating that a detailed investigation was necessary to determine the source of the liquor.

After considering the arguments, the court dismissed the bail petition on Friday.

Meanwhile, the Excise Department approached the court seeking Augustine’s custody for further investigation. The court directed that he be produced before it on Saturday.