‘Been a member of RSS, ready to go back’: Calcutta HC judge admits in farewell speech
Stating that he had distanced himself from the organisation for 37 years because the kind of profession he pursued, Justice Chitta Ranjan Dash said he is now ready go back to the organisation if they called him for any assistance
Justice Chitta Ranjan Dash, who retired as a judge of the Calcutta High Court on Monday (May 20), said has been a member of the RSS all along even though he had distanced himself from the organisation for 37 years because the nature of his profession.
Speaking at his farewell at the high court in the presence of the judges and members of the bar, Justice Dash said he was "ready to go back to the organisation" if they called him for any assistance or for any work that he was capable of doing.
‘Learnt to be courageous, upright at RSS’
"To the distaste of some persons, I must admit here that I was and I am a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)," he said.
Demitting office after over 14 years as a high court judge, Justice Dash came to the Calcutta High Court from the Orissa High Court on transfer.
"I owe a lot to the organisation... I am there from my childhood and throughout my youth," he said.
"I have learnt to be courageous, upright and have an equal view for others and above all, the sense of patriotism and commitment to the work," he said.
‘Never used RSS credentials in career’
Justice Dash said that he had distanced himself from the organisation for about 37 years because of the work he undertook.
"I have never used my membership of the organisation for any advancement of my career because it is against its principles," he said.
Justice Dash said he treated everybody at par, be he a rich or poor person, be he a communist, or from the BJP, Congress or TMC (Trinamool Congress).
"All are equal before me, I do not hold any bias for anyone or for any particular political philosophy or mechanism," he said, adding that he tried to dispense justice on the principles of empathy and that "law can be bent to do justice, but justice cannot be bent to suit the law".
‘Ready to go back to RSS if needed’
He said that he was "ready to go back to the organisation" if they called him for any assistance or for any work they needed which he was capable of doing.
"Because I have not done anything wrong in my life, I have the courage to say I belong to the organisation, because that is also not wrong," he said, adding that if he was a good person, he could not belong to a bad organisation.
Born in 1962 in Odisha's Sonepur, Dash did his schooling in Ullunda and completed his higher studies in Dhenkanal and Bhubaneswar, following which he graduated in law in Cuttack in 1985.
He enrolled as an advocate in 1986 and was appointed as an additional standing counsel of the state government in 1992, which he continued till 1994, according to the website of the Calcutta High Court.
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 High Court in October 2009.
Dash joined as a judge of the Calcutta High Court on transfer on June 20, 2022.
(With inputs from agencies)
