Thiruvananthapuram , 03 Jan (H.S.):A local court in Kerala is set to pronounce its verdict on Friday in the long-pending thondimuthal (case property) tampering case in which former minister and Left Democratic Front (LDF) MLA Antony Raju is an accused. The judgment will be delivered by the Nedumangad Judicial First Class Magistrate Court, nearly three decades after the case was registered.
The case pertains to allegations that Antony Raju, while practising as a lawyer, manipulated case property to help an accused escape prosecution in a narcotics case. A court staff member, Jose, is the first accused in the case, while Antony Raju is the second.
According to the prosecution, the incident dates back to 1990, when a foreign national was arrested at the Thiruvananthapuram international airport with narcotic substances. It is alleged that the seized contraband was tampered with to weaken the case, eventually leading to the accused being discharged. The matter later came to light when the same individual, who was subsequently convicted and imprisoned in another case, reportedly disclosed the details to a fellow inmate.
The case itself was registered in 1994, but the charge sheet was filed only after a delay of 13 years. In total, 19 years have passed since the filing of the charge sheet, with the trial witnessing prolonged delays. During the course of proceedings, the court also included Sections 465 and 468 of the Indian Penal Code, relating to forgery, while completing the trial, taking into account both the prosecution’s request and a private complaint.
Antony Raju had earlier approached higher courts, including the Supreme Court, seeking to quash the charge sheet. These legal challenges contributed significantly to the delay in the trial. Eventually, the Supreme Court directed that the trial be completed within one year, following which final arguments were heard at the Nedumangad court.
The prosecution had cited 29 witnesses in the case. Of them, 19 were examined. Eight witnesses were dropped due to death or illness, while two others were removed from the witness list by the prosecution.
The verdict, expected later today, is being closely watched given Antony Raju’s political stature and the extraordinary length of time the case has taken to reach conclusion.
---------------
Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman
