‘Court has punished an innocent person,’ says Antony Raju after conviction in evidence-tampering case

Thiruvananthapuram: MLA and former Transport Minister Antony Raju on Saturday maintained that he is innocent in the 1990 evidence-tampering case, after the Nedumangad Judicial First Class Magistrate Court-I found him guilty in the case linked to an Australian national.

Antony Raju’s response came after the court convicted him in connection with the case involving Andrew Salvatore Cervelli, an Australian citizen who was arrested at Thiruvananthapuram airport for possessing 61.6 grams of charas.

Speaking to the media, Antony Raju said the verdict reflected a situation where the court had punished an innocent person. “This is yet another instance of an innocent person being punished. My advocate and I have appeared before the court continuously without missing a single hearing. During the A K Antony government’s tenure, a final report was submitted before the court stating that I was innocent in this case.

“The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau report filed earlier before the High Court named three other accused and did not include my name. Even during this hearing, the prosecution failed to produce any fresh evidence,” he said. Raju said he would pursue all legal remedies and added, “Let the law take its own course.”

Judicial First Class Magistrate-I Judge Rubi Ismail on Saturday found the first accused, K S Jose, a court clerk, and the second accused, Antony Raju, guilty of criminal conspiracy, causing the disappearance of evidence, fabricating false evidence, criminal breach of trust, forgery, and joint liability for an offence committed with common intention. However, the court rejected the prosecution’s charges of cheating and forgery committed with the intent to cheat.