CM’s forged marriage documents case: Kochi cops quiz Reporter TV MD Anto Augustine

Kochi: Reporter TV Managing Director Anto Augustine appeared before the Kalamassery police on Thursday for questioning in the case registered over alleged forged marriage documents concerning Chief Minister V D Satheesan.

Augustine reached the Kalamassery police station after the investigation team issued a fresh notice directing him to appear for questioning. He had earlier failed to appear before the police on September 28, citing inconvenience.

The case relates to remarks made by Augustine about two unidentified persons who allegedly approached him with documents claiming to be evidence of a second marriage by Satheesan. Augustine had said the documents were presented to him as a potential journalistic scoop but that Reporter TV decided not to telecast the story after its team investigated the claims and could not substantiate them.

He had also said that the channel checked the purported records, including at the sub-registrar office at Byndoor in Karnataka, as part of its verification.

The matter later led to a complaint by KPCC spokesperson Raju P Nair, who alleged that Augustine’s disclosures were part of a criminal conspiracy to tarnish Satheesan’s public image using fabricated documents. The complaint sought the seizure of the purported forged records and examination of CCTV footage at the Reporter TV office to identify the two persons who allegedly handed them over to Augustine.

The case was initially registered as a Zero FIR by the Thiruvananthapuram City Cyber Crime Police under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including those relating to criminal conspiracy, defamation and forged public documents. The case was subsequently transferred to the Kochi City Police, as the alleged remarks and related events fell within the jurisdiction of Kalamassery.

Augustine is the first accused in the case, while two unidentified persons have also been named as accused.

Earlier, the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court had considered Augustine’s anticipatory bail plea. The court disposed of the application after the prosecution informed it that the police had no immediate plans to arrest him. Augustine’s counsel had argued that his remarks were made in the context of a discussion on responsible journalism and maintained that any arrest should strictly follow the statutory procedure, including prior notice.

Augustine has also approached the Kerala High Court seeking to quash the FIR.

The questioning at the Kalamassery police station is part of the ongoing investigation into the origin and authenticity of the purported documents and the allegations surrounding their circulation.