Reporter TV managing director Anto Augustine
Augustine stated that while addressing a seminar on media ethics at Pathanamthitta, he had said that two individuals had approached him claiming to have news worth Rs 1 crore concerning the CM’s alleged second marriage. However, verification revealed that the news was fake. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Kochi | Silver Rate in Kochi | Bank Holidays in Kochi | Public Holidays in Kochi Stay updated with the latest Kochi news.
The case was registered against him after he himself disclosed the incident in a speech, and the registration of the case was legally unsustainable, according to Augustine. The case arose from a complaint alleging that Augustine had conspired with other accused and forged documents purporting to show that the chief minister had solemnised another marriage while his first marriage was still subsisting. A case was registered at the cyber police station in Thiruvananthapuram on a complaint filed by Raju P Nair of Ernakulam. It was later transferred to the Kalamassery police station on the assumption that the alleged place of occurrence fell within its territorial jurisdiction. They had also shown him documents relating to the claim. Download the TOI App.
Cognisance of the offence of defamation is barred except on a complaint filed by the person aggrieved, in terms of Section 222(1) of the BNSS, according to the petition.
In this case, the complainant is a third party and not a “person aggrieved” within the meaning of the provision. Kochi: Reporter TV managing director Anto Augustine has approached the high court seeking to quash a criminal case registered against him over alleged defamatory remarks about chief minister V D Satheesan. Augustine further claimed that there was no allegation that he had made any false document or record or used any such document as genuine.