Calcutta High Court judge Justice Chitta Ranjan Dash, who retired on Monday, said the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) had helped him shape his personality and instil courage and patriotism in him.

Dash said he had been associated with the RSS since his childhood.

In his farewell speech, Dash said, "Today, I must unfold my true self. I owe a lot to one organisation. I am there from my childhood till I attained my youth. I have learned to be courageous, upright, have equal views for others, and above all, the sense of patriotism and commitment to the work wherever you work."

"I must admit here that I was and I am a member of the RSS," he said.

The justice also said he distanced himself from the RSS after he became a judge and has dealt with all cases and litigants impartially, irrespective of their party affiliation.

"I have distanced myself from the organisation (RSS) for about 37 years due to the work I undertook. I never used the membership of my organisation for any advancement of my career, because that is against our principle," he said.

"I have treated everybody at par, be it a Communist person, be it a BJP or Congress or even TMC (Trinamool Congress) person. I do not have any bias against anybody. I do not have any bias against any political personality. All were equal before me. I tried to dispense justice on two principles: one is empathy and second is law can be bent to do justice, but justice cannot be bent to suit the law," he said.

Justice Dash, who hails from Odisha, enrolled as an advocate in 1986.

In 1999, he entered the Odisha judicial service and served as Additional District and Sessions Judge in various parts of the state. He was then appointed as Registrar (Administration) of the Orissa High Court.

He was elevated as an additional judge of the Orissa High Court on October 10, 2009, and was transferred to the Calcutta High Court on June 20, 2022.

Source: India Today