Messi visit row: Kerala HC issues notice to State govt. on Anto Augustine’s plea to quash FIR

KOCHI The High Court has issued notice and sought the State government’s response to a recent petition submitted by Anto Augustine, Managing Director of Reporter TV, seeking to quash a First Information Report against him in connection with the alleged funds misappropriation in a failed attempt to bring the Argentina football team and its then captain Lionel Messi to Keralam for an international friendly match in 2025. ‘Illegal details’ A Special Investigation Team had registered the FIR alleging that Mr.

Augustine conspired to add illegal and fake details into the agreement signed with the Argentina Football Association to cheat the State government. The SIT had carried out searches at five locations linked to the Augustine brothers, including their ancestral home in Wayanad.

The FIR also charged Mr. Augustine with conspiring to occupy Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium at Kaloor, Kochi, by securing exemption from the ₹5-crore security deposit in September 2025.