Anto Augustine’s custody in Excise dept to end on September 20

The Excise department’s custody of Anto Augustine, managing director of Reporter Broadcasting Company, who was arrested in a case under the Abkari Act recently, will end on Sunday (September 20, 2026).Sulthan Bathery Judicial First Class Magistrate Adheena Biju granted the department Mr. Augustine’s custody on Saturday (September 19, 2026). He was arrested on Thursday (September 17, 2026) following the seizure of liquor above the permissible limits from his ancestral house in Wayanad.The liquor bottles were found during the searches by a special investigation team of the Keralam Police that is probing the alleged irregularities in a cancelled football event sponsored by his company. The seized liquor was handed over to the Excise Department, which subsequently registered a case and arrested Mr. Augustine.He was remanded in judicial custody till September 30 and later shifted to the Wayanad district jail. The court on Friday (September 18, 2026) dismissed his bail petition.Mr. Augustine was produced in court on Saturday (September 19, 2026) following a petition seeking his custody. The Excise Department had sought his custody for four days. However, after hearing the prosecution and defence counsels, the court granted the department custody only for a day, as Mr. Augustine has approached the Kerala High Court seeking bail. The petition is expected to be considered on September 22. Published - September 20, 2026 03:57 pm IST