Evidence tampering case: TVM court to hear Antony Raju's plea for suspension of sentence
Former MLA Antony Raju appeals court sentence in a 1990 evidence-tampering case involving a drug smuggler's altered underwear, seeking suspension after his initial plea was rejected.
Former MLA Antony Raju appeals court sentence in a 1990 evidence-tampering case involving a drug smuggler's altered underwear, seeking suspension after his initial plea was rejected.
Former MLA Antony Raju appeals court sentence in a 1990 evidence-tampering case involving a drug smuggler's altered underwear, seeking suspension after his initial plea was rejected.
The Thiruvananthapuram District Sessions Court is set to hear on Thursday an appeal filed by former MLA Antony Raju seeking suspension of the sentence imposed on him in the 1990 evidence-tampering case.
Raju approached the sessions court after the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court-I, Nedumangad, rejected his plea for suspension of sentence.
The case dates back to 1990 and involves Australian national Andrew Salvatore, who was arrested at Thiruvananthapuram airport with narcotic substances allegedly concealed in his underwear. According to the prosecution, key material evidence in the case, including the underwear seized by the police and kept in court custody, was tampered with after it was released to Raju, who was then a junior lawyer representing Salvatore.
The prosecution alleged that the altered underwear was later produced before the court, leading to Salvatore's acquittal as it did not match the original garment seized by the police. It further alleged that Raju conspired with a court clerk to tamper with the evidence.
Judicial First Class Magistrate Rubi Ismail found the first accused, court clerk K.S. Jose, and the second accused, Antony Raju, guilty of criminal conspiracy, causing the disappearance of evidence, fabricating false evidence, criminal breach of trust, forgery, and offences committed with common intention.
Raju was subsequently sentenced to multiple terms of imprisonment, including three years for offences related to the destruction and fabrication of evidence. All sentences were ordered to run concurrently.
Earlier this year, Raju approached the Kerala High Court seeking to set aside a Sessions Court order that had refused to quash his conviction in the case. However, the High Court rejected the plea.
He subsequently challenged the order before the Supreme Court, but to no avail. A bench comprising Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma dismissed the plea, upholding the High Court's order.