RSS shaped my personality, says retiring judge of Calcutta HC

Kolkata : Justice Chitta Ranjan Dash of Calcutta High Court, who retired on Monday from judicial services, gave the credit of shaping his personality to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

On his last day, Justice Dash said that his association with RSS goes back to his childhood days when he was a member of this organisation.

According to him, the lessons of RSS made him courageous and upright, while teaching him the value of having an equal view of others.

He also said that the greatest lesson that he learnt from the RSS was "the dedication to work", and most importantly, patriotism.

However, at the same time, Justice Dash mentioned that he deliberately distanced himself from the RSS since he entered judicial services to avoid any perceived bias.

According to him, he maintained his stand of neutrality as a judge irrespective of the political affiliations of the litigants whose cases he heard.

Justice Dash started his judicial career in 1999 with Odisha judicial services.

Since then, he has served in various positions including additional district judge and sessions judge in Odisha, his home state.

He was elevated as an Additional Judge of Odisha High Court in 2009. He was transferred to the Calcutta High Court in June 2022.