Archive · 3 Jan 2026
Kerala MLA Sentenced in 1990 Evidence Tampering Case
A court in Kerala, India, has sentenced a former minister and current lawmaker named Antony Raju to three years in jail.
He was found guilty of changing evidence in a old case from 1990.
In that case, a man from Australia was caught trying to bring drugs into the country hidden in his underwear.
Antony Raju was the lawyer for the Australian man.
The court originally sentenced the man to 10 years in jail, but later, the higher court said the underwear didn't fit him, so he was let go.
It was later found out that Antony Raju and a court employee had made the underwear smaller to help his client.
Because of this new conviction, Antony Raju will lose his seat as a lawmaker and won't be able to run in elections for the next six years.
Antony Raju, a former Transport Minister and current MLA from Kerala, was sentenced to three years in prison for tampering with evidence in a 1990 drug case.
Raju and a court employee, K Jose, were found guilty of conspiring to alter a piece of evidence—underwear containing 61.5 grams of hashish—to help Raju's client avoid conviction.
The case involved an Australian national, Andrew Salvatore Cervelli, who was initially sentenced to 10 years in prison but was later acquitted when the evidence was found to be tampered with.
Raju will be disqualified from his position as an MLA and barred from contesting elections for the next six years.
The court granted both Raju and Jose bail for a month to appeal the verdict.
- Who
- Antony Raju, a former Transport Minister and MLA from Kerala, and K Jose, a court employee
- What
- Sentenced to three years imprisonment for tampering with evidence in a 1990 drug case
- When
- The verdict was delivered on Saturday, with the case dating back to 1990
- Where
- Nedumangad Judicial First Class Magistrate Court, Kerala
- Why
- For tampering with evidence to help a client, Andrew Salvatore Cervelli, avoid conviction in a drug case
- Name
- Antony Raju
- Position
- Former Transport Minister and MLA
- Sentence
- Three years imprisonment
- Case
- Evidence tampering in 1990 drug case
- Co-Accused
- K Jose (court employee)
- Disqualification
- Barred from contesting elections for six years
- Client
- Andrew Salvatore Cervelli (Australian national)
- Evidence Tampered
- Underwear with 61.5 grams of hashish
Sources
Kerala MLA Sentenced to Three Years Imprisonment in Evidence Tampering Case, to Be Disqualified As Legislator
Kerala legislator convicted of tampering with evidence – drug accused client’s underwear – in 1990 case
Former Kerala Minister Antony Raju sentenced to three years' imprisonment in underwear tampering case
