Kerala MLA Antony Raju Disqualified After Decades-Old Conviction in 1990 Drug Case
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Kerala MLA Antony Raju, a former Transport Minister, has been disqualified from the state's Legislative Assembly following his conviction in a decades-old evidence tampering case linked to a 1990 drug bust at Thiruvananthapuram airport. In a notification published in the Kerala Gazette, Raju's disqualification was confirmed under the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and relevant Supreme Court decisions. The conviction, which carried a three-year simple imprisonment sentence, rendered Raju ineligible to continue as an MLA. The case dates back to 1990 when an Australian national, Andrew Salvatore Cervelli, was arrested for possession of hashish at the Thiruvananthapuram airport. Raju, then a junior lawyer, had defended Cervelli in the case. The Nedumangadu Judicial First Class Magistrate Court-I found Raju guilty in the evidence tampering case on Saturday. The disqualification resulted in the vacant '134-Thiruvananthapuram' seat in the Kerala Legislative Assembly, effective from January 3. The ruling has also sparked protests from Youth Congress workers, who demanded Raju's resignation over the conviction. The case has raised questions about accountability and integrity in public office.
