Sentenced to three years, but Antony Raju will not go to jail for time being; disqualification will continue

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Antony Raju MLA, who was sentenced to three years in prison in the case related to tampering with evidence, has been granted bail. The court allowed bail because the sentence awarded is less than seven years. The court also stated that until the appeal is decided, the accused can remain on bail. During this period, they can obtain a stay on the verdict and inform the court. Otherwise, they will have to go to jail.

However, even if a stay is obtained, the disqualification will continue. The Nedumangad Judicial First Class Magistrate Court sentenced Antony Raju to three years in prison. According to a Supreme Court ruling, anyone sentenced by a court to more than two years is disqualified. Based on this, Antony Raju will lose his MLA position. He will also not be able to contest in the upcoming elections.

The verdict is related to an incident that happened 34 years ago. Sections 409, 120B, 420, 201, 193, 34, 217, and 465 were proved against Antony Raju. The case alleges that evidence (the underwear seized as a material object) was tampered with to help an Australian citizen, Andrew Salvador Servalli, who was caught with 60 grams of hashish at Thiruvananthapuram airport on April 4, 1990. At that time, Antony Raju was a lawyer at the Thiruvananthapuram Vanchiyoor court and had taken up Andrew’s case along with his senior advocate, Celine Wilfred.