Antony Raju was the second accused in the case, while Jose, a court employee, was the first accused.
Published Jan 05, 2026 | 7:04 PM ⚊ Updated Jan 05, 2026 | 7:04 PM
Former Kerala Transport Minister Antony Raju. (Supplied)
Synopsis: According to the notification issued on 5 January, Raju, an elected member of the Fifteenth Kerala Legislative Assembly and a former Transport Minister, stands disqualified under the provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and relevant Supreme Court rulings.
The Secretariat of the Kerala Legislature on Monday, 5 January, notified the disqualification of Antony Raju, MLA from the 134-Thiruvananthapuram Assembly constituency, following his conviction and sentencing to three years’ imprisonment in a sensational evidence tampering case.
According to the notification issued on 5 January, Raju, an elected member of the Fifteenth Kerala Legislative Assembly and a former Transport Minister, stands disqualified under the provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and relevant Supreme Court rulings.
The seat has been declared vacant with effect from 3 January, 2026.
The Judicial First Class Magistrate-I Court, Nedumangad, on Saturday, 3 January, convicted Raju in Calendar Case No. 811/2024 and sentenced him to three years’ imprisonment.
He was the second accused in the case, while Jose, a court employee, was the first accused.
Both were awarded identical sentences of three years’ rigorous imprisonment for destruction of evidence and fabricating false evidence. Additionally, the court sentenced both accused to six months’ imprisonment for criminal conspiracy and imposed a fine of ₹10,000 on Raju.
The sentence shall run concurrently.
The case has its roots in April 1990, when Kerala Police detained Andrew Salvatore at the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport on allegations that he was attempting to smuggle hashish concealed in his underwear.
While under judicial remand, Salvatore obtained court permission to reclaim his personal effects that were not directly connected to the prosecution.
According to investigators, court clerk Jose abused his official position and released the undergarment—despite it being central to the case—to Antony Raju, who was appearing as Salvatore’s counsel.
The prosecution alleged that Raju tampered with the garment and returned it to the court, falsely representing it as the original material object, in a deliberate attempt to weaken the prosecution’s evidence.
The magistrate court found both accused guilty under multiple provisions of the Indian Penal Code, including Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), 193 (false evidence), 409 (criminal breach of trust by a public servant), and 34 (acts done in furtherance of common intention).
The court held that the acts were aimed at deliberately creating circumstances for the accused to evade legal consequences. The magistrate rejected the prosecution’s plea to commit the case to the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) court, proceeding instead to deliver the verdict.
(Edited by Sumavarsha, with inputs from Dileep V Kumar)
