Kerala MLA Sentenced to Three Years Imprisonment in Evidence Tampering Case, to Be Disqualified As Legislator
The Nedumangad Judicial First Class magistrate court found him guilty in the 1990 evidence tampering case.
Thiruvananthapuram: A judicial first class magistrate court in Kerala on Saturday sentenced ruling LDF MLA and former transport Minister Antony Raju to three years imprisonment in connection with an evidence tampering case.
The Nedumangad Judicial First Class magistrate court found him guilty in the 1990 evidence tampering case. Antony Raju who represents Thiruvananthapuram assembly constituency will be disqualified as MLA following the verdict.
Raju was convicted on the charges of tampering with evidence, conspiracy and giving false evidence under section 120 B, 201, 193, 409 and 34 of the IPC.
K Jose who is the first accused in the case and an employee of a court, was also sentenced to three years imprisonment.
The prosecution said the court has handed out maximun punishment to the MLA in the case.
Meanwhile, the state assembly secretariat will issue a notification declaring Antony Raju as disqualified from the post of MLA following the verdict.
He will be barred from contesting the elections for next six years as per the Representation of People Act.
Details of the case
The case involves an Australian national Andrew Salvatore Cervelli who was arrested at the Thiruvananthapuram airport with 61.6 grams of Charas in posession.
Antony Raju who was a junior lawyer , represented the accused Cervelli. The sessions court had sentenced the accused to ten years imprisonment. Subsequently the High Court acquitted him in 1991.
The acquittal was based on the defence argument that the underwear presented as evidence was too small to fit the accused.
During the appeal the Court observed a physical demonstration where the underwear failed to fit Cervelli , following which the court raised strong suspicion of evidence tampering.
The probe later found that Antony Raju had allegedly conspired with the Court clerk K Jose to obtain the underwear from the court's material objects room.
The allegation was that Antony Raju after obtaining the underwear had got it restitched to a smaller size and returned it four months later to ensure that it would not fit his client during the hearing in the High Court.
