Justice Chitta Ranjan Dash disclosed in his farewell address that he is a member of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and was "ready to go back to the organisation" if summoned. Dash retired from the Calcutta High Court on May 20.
“Today, I must unfold my true self. I owe a lot to an organisation… I am there from my childhood till I attained youth… throughout my youth. I have learnt to be courageous, upright… (have) equal view for others, and above all, the sense of patriotism and commitment to the work, wherever you work… To the distaste of some persons, I must admit here that I was, and I am, a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS),” Justice Dash said at his farewell in court.
Justice Dash was born in Sonepur, Odisha, in 1962. He attended Ullunda for his early education and finished his advanced studies at Dhenkanal and Bhubaneswar. In 1985, he obtained his legal degree from Cuttack. According to the Calcutta High Court website, he registered as an attorney in 1986 and was appointed as an additional standing counsel of the state government in 1992, a position he held until 1994.
"I belong to an organisation... a mercenary organisation. I owe them a lot. They taught me courage, and to treat people equally...it is here that I have to admit that I was, and still am a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh," he said.
"I have moved away for 37 years but have never used my membership in the organisation to any advantage. I have treated everybody at par. I believed in empathy and that the law can be bent to do justice but justice cannot be bent to suit the law. I am ready to go back to (RSS) if they need me for any work. I have not done anything wrong so I can say that I belong to the (RSS) because that is not wrong either," the judge said.
According to Justice Dash, he treated all parties to a case in his court with fairness, regardless of their political connections. He thanked everyone who had made his path easier and asked the younger members of the Bar to uphold the High Court's tradition.
He joined the Orissa Superior Judicial Service (Senior Branch) in February 1999 as a direct recruit. He was elevated as an additional judge of the Orissa HC in October 2009.
Dash joined as a judge of the Calcutta HC on transfer on June 20, 2022.
As part of a bench that gave a judgement providing specific guidelines for teenage females to "control their sexual urges," Justice Dash became embroiled in controversy.
(with inputs from media reports)
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