Former Kerala Minister Convicted in Decades-Old Drug Case

Antony Raju, a former Kerala transport minister, was found guilty of evidence tampering in a 1990 drug case. Serving as an MLA now, Raju was convicted by the Nedumangad court for his role in altering crucial evidence leading to the acquittal of an Australian accused earlier.

In a major development, former Kerala transport minister Antony Raju was pronounced guilty by a local court on Saturday for tampering with evidence in a drug seizure case dating back to 1990.

Raju, currently a serving MLA representing Janadhipathya Kerala Congress and an LDF member, was convicted by the Nedumangad Judicial First Class Magistrate. The case involved the recovery of 61.5 grams of hashish from an Australian citizen's possession at the Thiruvananthapuram international airport the same year.

Raju's involvement in the case as a junior lawyer at the time entailed representing the accused, Andre Salvatore Cervelli, who was initially convicted by a sessions court. However, Cervelli was acquitted by the Kerala High Court in 1991 based on defense arguments about the inadequacy of evidence. Investigations later uncovered Raju's conspiracy with court official Jose to tamper with evidence, leading to today's court verdict.

(With inputs from agencies.)