Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 17 (IANS) Former Kerala Minister Antony Raju suffered a major setback after the District Sessions Court on Tuesday upheld his conviction in the sensational evidence tampering case involving tampering of court evidence.

Raju had approached the Sessions Court challenging the Nedumangad First Class Magistrate Court’s order last month sentencing him to three years’ imprisonment and imposing a fine of Rs 10,000.

He sought to have the conviction set aside, contending that the verdict was legally unsustainable.

However, the Sessions Court refused to interfere with the finding of guilt and affirmed the lower court’s judgment.

At the same time, the court temporarily suspended the sentence of imprisonment and fine pending a detailed hearing of the appeal.

As the conviction itself has not been stayed, the disqualification arising from the guilty verdict will continue.

The case dates back to a drug seizure at Thiruvananthapuram airport involving an Australian national.

According to the prosecution, Raju, then a practising lawyer, conspired with a court clerk to tamper with a seized undergarment that formed crucial material evidence in the case.

The prosecution alleged that the garment was removed from court custody, altered and replaced, enabling the accused initially sentenced to ten years to later secure an acquittal from the High Court after the defence successfully argued that the undergarment did not belong to him.

Raju was convicted under IPC Sections relating to criminal conspiracy, destruction and fabrication of evidence, breach of trust and common intention.

Following the original conviction, he, the former State Transport Minister, had lost his MLA position.

Raju was the Transport Minister from 2021 till 2023 and moved out to make K.B. Ganesh Kumar the Minister, as part of the agreement in the Pinarayi Vijayan-led ruling Left government.

With the Sessions Court affirming the guilty verdict, the case remains a significant legal and political blow, even as Raju continues to pursue his appeal.

–IANS

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