Kochi : The high court (HC) granted bail to Reporter Broadcasting Company MD Anto Augustine in an abkari case registered at Kalpetta excise range office in which he was arrested for allegedly possessing liquor beyond the legally permissible limit and some suspected illicit liquor.
Augustine was arrested on Sept 16 after a search was conducted in a room at Karapuzha in South Muttil Village, during which excise seized 43.85L of FMFL, 1.224L of foreign-made foreign wine, 6.25L of KSBC wine, 750ml of IMFL (stated to be canteen stock marked for defence only) and 12.75L of a liquid said to contain alcohol. It noted that Augustine had been taken into police custody for 24 hours and that the recovery process was over. Augustine claimed that the property from which excise seized the contraband had been mortgaged with a bank when he availed a loan. Accordingly, HC remarked that there was a dispute regarding the applicant’s ownership, possession and occupation of the building. Subsequently, the bench allowed his petition, observing that there was no reason for his continued detention.
The court released him on bail on the condition that he execute a bond for Rs 1 lakh with two solvent sureties for the like sum each.
Other conditions, including appearing before the investigating officer every Saturday morning and not leaving the state without the prior permission of the trial court, were also imposed. On Tuesday, a bench of Justice Kauser Edappagath allowed Augustine’s bail petition, observing that though he had criminal antecedents, he was not involved in other crime of a similar nature.