Politics · India Bureau
Court limits excise custody of Reporter TV MD to single day
A Wayanad court has granted one day of excise custody for Anto Augustine, managing director of Reporter TV, in connection with an excise department investigation. The court rejected the excise department's request for a four-day custodial period.
LSN India ·
The Wayanad district court on Wednesday limited the custodial remand of Anto Augustine, managing director of Reporter TV, to one day in relation to an excise department case. The excise department had initially sought four days of custody for questioning, but the court reduced the period after considering submissions from both prosecution and defence counsel.
Augustine's detention comes as part of an investigation by the excise department into matters related to alleged abkari—illicit liquor—violations. The specific details of the allegations against the television news channel executive were not immediately disclosed.
The court's decision to grant only one day of custody, rather than the four days sought by investigators, suggests the judicial authority found insufficient grounds to justify an extended period of detention. The shorter custodial period may allow Augustine to be questioned by excise officials while limiting the restriction on his liberty.
The case highlights ongoing enforcement operations by Kerala's excise department against alleged violations of liquor laws. Augustine's arrest marks a significant development involving a media house in the state, though the nature of Reporter TV's alleged involvement in the case remains unclear.