Story perspectives

Kerala Police Raid Reporter TV, Seize Phones in Case

By Drooid · Sep 16, 2026, 10:05 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Kerala Police Raid

Kerala police raided Reporter TV’s Kochi newsroom and seized journalists’ phones on September 16, 2026.
A September 15, 2026 FIR accused Anto Augustine and others of falsifying a Messi agreement to cheat the state.
The Special Investigation Team flagged a tax liability of Rs 25.78 crore, including Rs 22.68 crore IGST on payments to the Argentina Football Association.
Opposition leader Pinarayi Vijayan called the raid an attack on media freedom reminiscent of the Emergency.

Summary

Justice Dias Sets Trial

Kerala High Court rejected Roji Augustine’s petition, allowing the cheating case to proceed.
Justice C S Dias ordered the Chottanikkara magistrate court to start trial on September 22 and finish within six months.
The complaint alleges M M Aliyar paid Rs 1.40 crore for timber falsely claimed to have forest permits.
The court vacated its earlier order, allowing the investigating officer to file the final forest report by September 18.

History

Historical Context

On 25 June 1975 Prime Minister Indira Gandhi invoked Article 352 to impose a national emergency, suspending civil liberties and censoring the press; more than 100,000 opponents and journalists were jailed, and the emergency lasted 21 months until March 1977. That legacy resurfaces as the Kerala High Court swiftly moves against Reporter TV’s Kochi newsroom, echoing past authoritarian clampdowns.

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Kerala Police Raid

Kerala police raided Reporter TV’s Kochi newsroom and seized journalists’ phones on September 16, 2026.
A September 15, 2026 FIR accused Anto Augustine and others of falsifying a Messi agreement to cheat the state.
The Special Investigation Team flagged a tax liability of Rs 25.78 crore, including Rs 22.68 crore IGST on payments to the Argentina Football Association.
Opposition leader Pinarayi Vijayan called the raid an attack on media freedom reminiscent of the Emergency.

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