In a major setback to Left front legislator and former Kerala Transport Minister Antony Raju, the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court, Nedumangadu, on Saturday (January 3, 2026) found the Thiruvananthapuram MLA guilty of forging and planting material evidence in a two-decades-old evidence tampering case following a drug seizure case booked in 1990. The verdict comes 19 years after the chargesheet was filed against him. Mr. Raju is currently a leader of the Janathipathya Kerala Congress, a ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) ally.
Supreme Court restores criminal proceedings against ex-Kerala Minister Antony Raju in evidence tampering case
Mr. Raju was a junior lawyer appearing in the 1990 drug case involving an Australian national, Andrew Salvatore. Mr. Raju was accused of tampering with the Australian’s underwear, which was seized as material evidence.
On Saturday, the accused, Mr. Raju and Jose, a court clerk, were found guilty of charges such as breach of trust by government officials, conspiracy, tampering with evidence, destruction of evidence, fabrication of false evidence, misconduct by a public servant, and fabrication of a forged document. The charges are punishable by up to life imprisonment.
