---
title: "High Court Grants Bail to Reporter TV MD Anto Augustine in Liquor Possession Case"
english_title: "Kerala High Court Grants Bail to Anto Augustine in Liquor Possession Case"
publisher: "Truevision English News"
canonical_url: "https://english.truevisionnews.com/news/383788/kerala-high-court-bail-anto-augustine-liquor-possession-case"
published_at: "2026-09-22T13:38:00+05:30"
category: "Big Story"
language: "en"
image: "https://cf.zdn.im/img/truevisionnews.com/0/image-uploads/6ab238a944afa_kerala-high-court-bail-anto-augustine-liquor-possession-case.jpg"
keywords: ["Anto Augustine", "Kerala High Court", "Reporter TV", "Liquor Possession Case", "Excise Department", "Abkari Act"]
---

# High Court Grants Bail to Reporter TV MD Anto Augustine in Liquor Possession Case

> **Lead Summary:** The Kerala High Court has granted bail to Reporter TV Managing Director Anto Augustine in a case related to the alleged possession of liquor beyond the legally permitted quantity. Anto Augustine approached the High Court after the Sultan Bathery First Class Magistrate Court rejected his bail plea. The High Court had earlier stated that interim bail could not be granted in the matter.

## Article Content

The Kerala High Court has granted bail to Reporter TV Managing Director Anto Augustine in a case related to the alleged possession of liquor beyond the legally permitted quantity. Anto Augustine approached the High Court after the Sultan Bathery First Class Magistrate Court rejected his bail plea. The High Court had earlier stated that interim bail could not be granted in the matter.

When the case came up for consideration, both the defence and the prosecution presented their arguments before the bench of Justice Kausar Edappagath. The court then granted bail subject to conditions. It is understood that the court considered, among other factors, that bail is ordinarily granted in cases involving Indian Made Foreign Liquor and that Anto Augustine had no previous cases of this nature against him. Further details will become clear only after the full judgment is released.

The defence argued that the building from which the liquor was recovered had been sold to another person through bank attachment proceedings in 2022 and that Anto Augustine had neither possession nor any connection with the house for the past four years.

The prosecution, however, pointed out that tax for the building had been paid in Anto Augustine’s name even in March 2026. The prosecution also argued that a detailed investigation was necessary to identify the source of the large quantity of foreign liquor and to examine whether any tax evasion had taken place.

The Abkari case surfaced while a Special Investigation Team was probing allegations of financial irregularities connected with the proposed Kerala visit of the Argentina football team and Lionel Messi. During a police search at Anto Augustine’s ancestral house at Vazhavattta in Wayanad, officers reportedly found a large stock of liquor. The information was then handed over to the Excise Department, which registered a case and arrested Anto Augustine.

According to the Excise Department, the search led to the seizure of around 67 litres of liquor and wine, including more than 43 litres of foreign-made foreign liquor, about 4.8 litres of foreign-made wine, five-and-a-half litres of Kerala-made wine, and 860 millilitres of military liquor. The case was registered under Sections 55(i), 55(a), and 58 of the Abkari Act.

### Related Links & Sources
- [Original Story Source](https://english.truevisionnews.com/news/383788/kerala-high-court-bail-anto-augustine-liquor-possession-case)