The Kerala High Court on Friday observed that it would be difficult to prove that the former Kerala Transport Minister Antony Raju had the intention to tamper with evidence in a 1990 drug case when he was a junior lawyer.

Justice C. Jayachandran also asked whether Mr. Raju’s senior lawyer was aware of the evidence tampering.

During the hearing, the court asked how a criminal liability could be fastened upon him, according to a senior government lawyer. The court also asked how any motive or intention to tamper with evidence can be attributed to Mr. Raju, the lawyer said.

The prosecution told the court that the evidence had been tampered with when it was in Mr. Raju’s custody.

The observations and posers from the High Court came during the hearing of Mr. Raju’s plea seeking suspension of his conviction for evidence tampering so that he can contest in the upcoming Assembly polls.

The State government, on the other hand, told the High Court that granting him the relief “would undermine the integrity of the electoral process.” After hearing arguments from both sides, the High Court reserved its order on the plea by Mr. Raju, a leader of the Janadhipathya Kerala Congress, a constituent of the CPI(M)-led LDF in Kerala.

He had moved the High Court after the Thiruvananthapuram District and Sessions Court declined to suspend his conviction.