New Delhi: A Supreme Court bench chaired by justice C T Ravikumar stayed the lower court proceedings in evidence tampering case against Antony Raju. Hence, the apex court decision will stop the reinvestigation launched into the case by the Thiruvananthapuram chief judicial magistrate court.

The case is related to the alleged tampering of an underwear evidence in a drugs case conducted by the Kerala transport minister as a junior lawyer in 1990.

The court issued the interim order, and issued two special leave petitions challenging Kerala HC’s order quashing the criminal case against Antony Raju.

The Kerala HC had quashed the criminal case on March 10, 2023 on technical grounds. However, the court had directed the registry to pursue the complaint under the relevant provisions of the CrPC. 

A third party named MR Ajayan had approached the SC challenging the Kerala HC decision to quash the criminal case against the minister. He has been given six weeks time to respond to notice issued by the apex court in connection with his petition.