Kerala Police have registered a case against Anto Augustine, Managing Director of Reporter TV, and two unidentified individuals over alleged fake documents linked to claims about Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan’s supposed second marriage.
The FIR was registered by the Thiruvananthapuram City Cyber Police following a complaint by KPCC spokesperson Raju P. Nair. Police have named Augustine as the first accused, while the identities of the other two individuals have not yet been established.
The case relates to remarks made by Augustine at a public event. According to reports, he said that two men had approached him with documents that they claimed showed Satheesan had registered another marriage in Karnataka in 2012. Augustine said he had asked a reporter to verify the documents and decided not to publish the claim after questions were raised about their authenticity.
According to the FIR, the documents were allegedly forged and were connected to an attempt to defame the Chief Minister. The police case includes allegations relating to forgery, criminal conspiracy, possession or use of forged documents and defamation under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The complaint also called for an investigation to identify the two people who allegedly brought the documents to Augustine. Police are examining the circumstances surrounding the documents and the claims made about them.
Augustine has said he is willing to cooperate with a fair investigation. The allegations against him and the other individuals have not been established in court, and the investigation is still underway.
The case has drawn attention to the importance of verifying documents and information before making claims about the personal lives of public figures. It also highlights the legal consequences that can arise when allegedly false or fabricated material is circulated publicly.