Messi-Gate accused and Reporter Broadcasting Company MD Anto Augustine, who was arrested on September 16 in connection with the liquor seizure case, is facing fresh scrutiny as Muttil Grama Panchayat, Wayanad district, records reveal that his Vazhavatta house was constructed in violation of building rules, with discrepancies in the approved plan, number of floors and ownership records.
Augustine, who is under investigation in connection with a liquor seizure and the wider Messi-Gate case, had recently suffered a setback after a Wayanad court rejected his bail plea. The latest scrutiny is now focused on the construction and ownership documents of his 983 sq. ft. house.
The Moonganani House is in Vazhavatta, Muttil Panchayat, Wayanad district. According to the Panchayat documents, permission was granted for the ground floor alone. The documents in connection with the construction of the 983 sq. ft. house are now crucial in the investigation process.
The building certificate the Panchayat provided online on September 18 contains the details of the building. It is suspected that the building was initially constructed for resort or commercial purposes and converted into a house later.
Investigation found that the construction was not in compliance with parameters laid down by the Wayanad District Disaster Management Authority (WDDMA).
The Excise Investigation Report says that the maximum permissible number of floors in a building is three and the maximum height is 10 metres in Muttil Panchayat, where Vazhavatta is situated. However, when the Panchayat authorities checked the construction, it was found that the construction had crossed the limits compared to the building plan submitted. Hence, a Stop Memo was issued.
In 2022, the government had given the chance to regularise unauthorised constructions. Anto Augustine had applied accordingly. However, follow-up action did not take place as serious violations of building rules were found.
The Excise investigation report states that the Panchayat had served a notice to Anto Augustine on March 28, 2022. Consequently, the Panchayat Secretary rejected his application for the regularisation of the construction.
There are contradictory reports about the number of floors in the building in different documents. One document Anto Augustine submitted before the Panchayat says it is a three-storey building. Another report submitted before the Panchayat says that it is four-storey and 10 metres high, hence the Stop Memo.
Now, apart from the documents in connection with the construction, the ownership documents are also under investigation.
Meanwhile, Anto Augustine had taken the stand before the court that the house, where the alcoholic liquor was stocked, does not belong to him. He argued that the house was sold in a tender in 2022 through an SBI auction. Later, he does not have any ownership or possession of the house. However, his name still continues in the documents as the owner. There is unconfirmed news that his mother-in-law was the buyer in the auction.
According to the reports, he still sticks to his stand that he is not the owner of the house; he does not know the number of rooms in the house and does not know how the liquor came there. However, he gave the same Vazhavatta address in his statement before the GST Department last month.
The construction, ownership and liquor seizure-related documents are now among the aspects being examined as part of the ongoing investigation involving Anto Augustine.
