Katkar, whose son went missing from the hostel of the DY Patil College in Navi Mumbai in May 2008, was told by the court that instead of announcing a Rs10,000 award.
Did Gajanan Katkar run away or was he, as his family fears, held captive? Though the police are yet to reach a conclusion, his frantic father Ashok Katkar got a few tips from the Bombay high court about what would have prevented his son from running away — had he indeed done so.
Katkar, whose son went missing from the hostel of the DY Patil College in Navi Mumbai in May 2008, was told by the court that instead of announcing a Rs10,000 award for whoever finds his son, he should have met the boy’s demands with that money.
“You should have bought the computer. Today’s youth demand such a life,” justice PB Majmudar remarked after Katkar’s advocate said that he could not afford to buy a laptop that his son had demanded.
In his petition, Katkar had stated that his son had topped his Bachelor of Technology (BTech) course and was pursuing a Masters of Technology (MTech) at the DY Patil College. He said Gajanan was a bright student and conducting research to find a cure for diabetes. A company in Singapore had shown interest in his work.
Katkar feared some foreign agencies may have detained him because of his research. Public prosecutor PA Pol, however, told the court that Gajanan had got an ATKT (allowed to keep terms) in the MTech course and secured only 15% marks.
“A person with ATKT? What research can he do?” justice Majmudar said. Pol said that the day Gajanan went missing his parents had visited him at the hostel; he then had a tiff with his father. “He had asked the petitioner (Katkar) to give him Rs4,000 but he was given only Rs2,000,” Pol said.
“You didn’t give him money so he decided to go and become a sadhu. He may have gone to the Himalayas. What can we do?” said justice Majmudar.
The court said it had full sympathy for Katkar but there was little it could do. Katkar’s advocate said the police should also be asked to keep a tab on whether Gajanan has fled the country. However, the court observed there was nothing on record to indicate that.
Stating that the police was “properly investigating” Katkar’s complaint of May 19, 2008, justices Majmudar and RG Ketkar disposed of the petition and directed the police to file a probe report on June 30.
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