Justice Chitta Ranjan Dash reveals his RSS membership and willingness to work with the organization again after 37 years of distancing for professional reasons.
KOLKATA: In a significant and candid farewell speech, Justice Chitta Ranjan Dash of the Calcutta High Court revealed his long-standing association with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and expressed his readiness to reengage with the organization. This announcement came after 37 years of professional detachment from the RSS, although he remained ideologically aligned with it throughout his judicial career.
“I must admit here that I was and am a member of RSS. I don’t have any bias against anybody,” Dash stated before a full bench, causing a stir among the attendees. His declaration came just over two months after his former colleague, Abhijit Gangopadhyay, resigned from his judicial position to join the BJP and become the party’s candidate for the Tamluk Lok Sabha seat.
Justice Dash, who has served as a judge for 15 years, emphasized his impartiality in his judicial duties. “I have treated everybody on a par: rich, poor, a Communist, or someone with BJP, Congress, or Trinamool. All were equal before me,” he asserted. He further noted that he had never used his RSS membership for career advancement, in line with the organization’s principles.
The judge’s farewell address also touched upon a controversial observation made by a division bench he led earlier this year in a case involving the sexual abuse of a minor. The bench’s remark, “Adolescent girls must control their sexual urges instead of giving in to two minutes of pleasure,” was criticized by the Supreme Court as “wrong and problematic.” Reflecting on his tenure, Dash said, “I tried to dispense justice based on two principles. The first is empathy, and the second is the law. The law can be bent to suit justice but justice cannot be bent to suit the law.”
Dash’s forthrightness about his RSS affiliation sparked mixed reactions. While some praised his honesty, others raised concerns about the implications of his ideological ties on his judicial decisions. However, Dash defended his stance, stating, “I cannot belong to a bad organization if I am a good person.”
In his speech, Dash also called for modernization within the Calcutta High Court, urging the bar to cooperate with the Chief Justice to update some of the court’s “archaic” rules. “We have to march with time. We cannot look back at the past. We have to look ahead,” he emphasized.
The political climate in West Bengal has been charged with accusations of judicial partiality. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accused certain High Court judges of compromising the law, suggesting that judicial decisions were influenced by external pressures. Her comments followed a controversial court verdict in a cash-for-school jobs case, prompting petitions seeking suo motu action against her for allegedly insulting the judiciary.
Justice Dash’s remarks and his departure from the bench come at a time of heightened scrutiny and debate over the intersection of judiciary and political ideologies. His willingness to return to the RSS after a significant judicial career highlights the ongoing discussions about the role of personal beliefs in public service.
As Dash steps down, his legacy will be examined through the lens of his judicial decisions and his openness about his ideological affiliations. Whether his affiliation with RSS will impact his post-judicial career remains to be seen, but his farewell speech has undoubtedly left a mark on the judicial and political discourse in West Bengal.
