No Relief To Antony Raju As Kerala High Court Bars Him From Contesting Assembly Polls
Former minister and Janadhipathya Kerala Congress leader sought a stay on his conviction to a drug case in 1990 when he was a junior lawyer
Published : March 17, 2026 at 3:42 PM IST
Ernakulam: In a major legal setback ahead of the Assembly elections, the Kerala High Court on Tuesday dismissed an appeal filed by former minister and Janadhipathya Kerala Congress leader Antony Raju seeking a stay on his conviction and three-year prison sentence.
The order, delivered by Justice C. Jayachandran of the single bench, effectively shuts the door on Antony Raju’s prospects of contesting the upcoming elections. With the court declining to suspend the conviction, his disqualification under the Representation of the People Act continues to remain in force, preventing him from filing nomination papers.
The ruling has triggered a political setback for his party as well as the Left Democratic Front (LDF), which had been awaiting a favourable verdict before finalising its candidate list.
The case relates to an incident in 1990 from his early legal career when Antony Raju, then a junior lawyer, was accused of tampering with material evidence - an undergarment - in an attempt to help an Australian national accused in a drug trafficking case. The defence argued that there was no conclusive proof identifying who altered the evidence or where the alleged tampering took place.
However, the court underscored the seriousness of the allegations, noting that interference with judicial evidence strikes at the core of the justice delivery system. Though questions had earlier been raised regarding the absence of direct witnesses and the non-inclusion of a senior advocate in the alleged conspiracy, the court ultimately prioritised the gravity of the offence in dismissing the plea.
The 71-year-old had already lost his MLA position following the sentencing by the Nedumangad Judicial First Class Magistrate Court. With the High Court declining relief, he remains disqualified from holding legislative office for the current term.
The verdict has compelled the LDF to urgently identify a replacement candidate for the Thiruvananthapuram constituency, which had been kept vacant in anticipation of a favourable legal outcome. LDF convener T.P. Ramakrisnan told the media after the verdict that Communist Party of India (Marxist), which leads the LDF, will not take over the seat, instead the seat will remain with Janadhipathya Kerala Congress.
Despite the defence maintaining that the police investigation was flawed and incomplete, the High Court’s refusal to stay the lower court’s order ensures that the former minister will remain out of the electoral contest this time.
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