Forged marriage documents of CM Satheesan: Kochi City police register fresh FIR, begin probe

Kochi: The Kochi City Police have launched an investigation against Reporter TV Managing Director Anto Augustine and two unidentified persons over alleged forged documents concerning a purported second marriage of Chief Minister V D Satheesan.

The Thiruvananthapuram City Cyber Crime Police initially registered the case as a Zero FIR following a directive from the State Police Chief. A Zero FIR is an FIR that can be registered by any police station, irrespective of jurisdiction.

It was subsequently transferred to the Kochi City Police after the police determined that the alleged remarks and related events took place within the Kalamassery police station limits. A regular FIR has now been registered at the Kalamassery police station.

The case is based on a complaint filed by Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) spokesperson Raju P Nair, who alleged that the documents were fabricated as part of a criminal conspiracy to defame Satheesan and destabilise the elected government.

Augustine has been named the first accused, while the two unidentified persons have been listed as the second and third accused. The FIR invokes Sections 336(4), 337, 61(2), 356(3), 340(2) and 339 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), dealing with forgery intended to harm reputation, forgery of public records, criminal conspiracy, defamation, use of forged documents as genuine and possession of forged public documents knowing them to be forged.

The controversy followed remarks Augustine made at a public gathering in Pathanamthitta on September 10. He said two men had approached him with what they described as “news worth crores of rupees” and handed over copies of a purported marriage registration certificate and a statutory notice.

According to the documents, Satheesan had allegedly registered a second marriage at the Byndoor Sub-Registrar’s Office in Karnataka on October 17, 2012, after issuing the mandatory 30-day notice, even though his existing marriage was still legally valid.

Augustine said he subsequently sent a reporter to Byndoor to verify the documents. The channel decided against publishing the story after the records appeared unconvincing. He also acknowledged that the documents remained in his possession.

However, the complaint alleges that the documents were fabricated and that Augustine and the two unidentified men were involved in a conspiracy to publicly defame the Chief Minister. Nair sought an investigation into the alleged conspiracy and demanded that the documents in Augustine’s possession be recovered.

The complainant also urged the police to examine CCTV footage from the relevant locations, particularly the Reporter TV office, to identify the two men who allegedly handed over the documents.

Police sources said that they are now examining the circumstances in which the purported documents reached Augustine, attempting to establish their origin and chain of custody, and taking steps to recover the documents. Investigators are also expected to examine available CCTV footage to identify the two unidentified persons named in the complaint.

The police action comes amid separate investigations involving Augustine and RBC in connection with the controversy surrounding the proposed Lionel Messi-Argentina football event in Kerala and Augustine’s arrest by the excise department over excess liquor possession.