Thiruvananthapuram: In a significant legal setback for the ruling Left Democratic Front in Kerala, Antony Raju, a sitting MLA and former state transport minister, has been found guilty in an evidence tampering case dating back to 1990.
The Judicial First Class Magistrate Court in Nedumangadu delivered the verdict on Saturday, holding Raju culpable of forging and planting material evidence in a narcotics case involving a foreign national.
The court is expected to announce the quantum of sentence in the coming days. The verdict comes nearly 19 years after the chargesheet was filed, underscoring the long and winding trajectory of the case through Kerala’s judicial system.
The case traces its origins to 1990, when Raju was a junior lawyer representing the accused in a drug seizure case involving Andrew Salvatore, an Australian national. During the trial, underwear seized from Salvatore was listed as material evidence. Prosecutors alleged that Raju tampered with this evidence by forging and planting material to influence the outcome of the case.
Raju was tried alongside Jose, a court clerk at the time. The court has now found both accused guilty of the charges levelled against them, bringing closure to a case that has lingered for decades.
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