In a blow to Kerala's ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), former minister and MLA Antony Raju has been disqualified from the Kerala Legislative Assembly. Representing the Thiruvananthapuram constituency for Janadhipathya Kerala Congress, an LDF ally, Raju's seat fell vacant effective January 3. The Kerala Legislature Secretariat issued the official notification on Monday, confirming his ouster under the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and Supreme Court precedents following his conviction for evidence tampering.
Roots in a 1990 airport drug bust
The saga traces back to a dramatic 1990 incident at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, where customs officials seized 61.5 grams of hashish from an Australian national. Antony Raju, then a junior lawyer, represented the accused. Fast-forward to scrutiny: a vigilance probe, ordered by the Kerala High Court and registered in 2005, unearthed allegations of tampered evidence- specifically, a crucial undergarment linked to the seizure.
Court conviction after legal rollercoaster
The Judicial First Class Magistrate-I Court in Nedumangad delivered the guilty verdict on January 3, 2026, sentencing Raju to three years of simple imprisonment, the maximum term, along with fines under multiple sections of the erstwhile Indian Penal Code, including criminal conspiracy and destruction of evidence. Co-accused KS Jose, a former court clerk, drew a one-year sentence plus penalties. Despite prosecution pleas to escalate sentencing to a higher court, the magistrate proceeded and granted Raju bail for appeal.
The case's path was turbulent: Initial vigilance and police probes under the AK Antony government cleared him, but the High Court quashed charges in 2023, only for the Supreme Court to revive them in 2024, mandating trial completion within a year. Prosecutors examined 29 witnesses, sealing Raju's fate.
Raju's defiant response and political fallout
Before sentencing, Raju decried the case as "politically motivated," insisting on his innocence and citing prior exonerations. Now, with disqualification immediate upon conviction, Thiruvananthapuram's seat triggers by-elections, weakening LDF's slim margins. Raju plans appeals, but his assembly tenure ends abruptly, marking a dramatic fall from grace for the once-influential leader.
