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Thiruvananthapuram, September 19, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Trouble mounted for jailed Reporter Broadcasting Corporation Managing Editor Anto Augustine on Saturday as he approached the Thiruvananthapuram District Court seeking anticipatory bail in a fresh case registered on the complaint of senior Congress leader and KPCC spokesperson Raju P. Nair over an alleged false marriage claim involving Kerala Chief Minister VD Satheesan.
The court is scheduled to consider Anto's anticipatory bail plea on September 23.
The development came on the day Raju P. Nair appeared before the Kalamassery Police and recorded his statement in connection with the complaint.
Anto, who is currently in judicial custody in another case, has been named the first accused in the FIR. Two others have also been booked for their alleged roles in the purported conspiracy.
The Thiruvananthapuram City Cyber Police had earlier recorded Raju P. Nair's detailed statement based on his complaint to the State Police Chief. The Kalamassery Police are now expected to question more people and widen the investigation.
After recording his statement on Saturday, Raju P. Nair told the media that a major conspiracy was behind the allegations concerning the Chief Minister.
He alleged that Anto had revived the allegations at a time when offices of Reporter TV were being searched by agencies, including the Enforcement Directorate. Raju further alleged that the episode was part of a blackmail strategy intended to put pressure on authorities during a difficult phase for the channel.
Anto has maintained that the documents he cited were handed over to him by two young men. He also claimed to possess a marriage certificate purportedly issued by a Sub-Registrar's Office in Karnataka.
Raju alleged that the certificate was fabricated and demanded that all documents claimed to be in Anto's possession be seized and subjected to forensic examination. He said this would help establish the source of the documents and identify those allegedly behind the conspiracy.
The FIR alleges that Anto knowingly possessed and circulated forged documents and that there was a deliberate attempt to defame an elected representative and the office he holds. These allegations form part of the police case and have not been established by a court.
The fresh case comes as the Kerala High Court is scheduled to hear Anto's bail plea on September 22 in the abkari case in which he is currently in judicial custody.
With the police intensifying the probe and the anticipatory bail plea scheduled for hearing on September 23, the case adds another legal challenge for the Reporter TV managing editor.