Kerala Legislature Secretariat disqualifies Thiruvananthapuram MLA Antony Raju following conviction

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala MLA and former Minister Antony Raju has been disqualified from the Legislative Assembly by the Kerala Legislature Secretariat after his conviction in an evidence tampering case. The Secretariat issued the formal notification in this regard.
 

The Nedumangad Judicial First Class Court sentenced Antony Raju to three years’ imprisonment for tampering with evidence to aid an Australian citizen caught with 60 grams of hashish at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport 34 years ago. As per the law, he will also be barred from contesting elections for the next six years.

However, the court granted him bail until the disposal of his appeal, as the sentence is less than seven years.
He is also disqualified from contesting the 2026 assembly elections, two decades after being denied a ticket over similar evidence tampering allegations. The former Transport Minister and Janadhipathya Kerala Congress leader now faces disqualification under the very same case.