Whatever the law says, I’ll do: Grant

Swati Deshpande, Anahita Mukherji & Mateen Hafeez | TNN

Mumbai: With the Supreme Court overturning the 2008 Bombay High Court ruling on Friday, and restoring the trial court’s March 18, 2006 conviction, Duncan Grant and Allan Waters are likely to be taken into custody on Monday. Their lawyer Taraq Sayed said: “The Supreme Court has asked the sessions court to complete the procedure and formalities regarding their arrest and sentencing. They may thus have to surrender in court on Monday. We will take it on our chin and respect the Supreme Court judgement.”

But when TOI spoke to a man who claimed to be Grant—his number was given to this reporter by Anchorage Shelter Home street children—he said: “I never said I would surrender on Monday.” However, the man went on to say that he would follow the law. “Whatever the law says, I’ll do.”

Grant and Waters have been residing in south Mumbai for the last three years ever since they were acquitted by the Bombay High Court in 2008. “Since their acquittal they have been residing in shelters at Cuffe Parade and taking care of street children and doing charity work,’’ said Sayed.

The police at Colaba police station, however, said they had no idea where Grant and Waters were residing. Senior police officials were unavailable for comment as they were busy overseeing the security of Wankhede Stadium, which was hosting a World Cup cricket match on Friday. But street children and slum dwellers at Cuffe Parade’s Machhimar Nagar said he was living at the Cuffe Parade shelter. Many even had his cellphone number.

Colaba police officials said they last saw Grant in September 2010. A police official said: “He had approached us with an application for his passport be returned to him. He said he often faced problems when officials from other police stations or security agencies contacted him for verification as he was unable to produce his passport.” Grant was issued a certificate stating that his passport was the police. Activists who worked on the case said they would regularly spot Grant on the streets of Colaba, usually surrounded by street boys. Grant was last seen at Colaba market on Friday night.


The Times of India, March 19, 2011