Cuttack, Sept. 2: A programme was organised to commemorate barrister Ranjit Mahanty, known for fighting the cause of common man and the downtrodden, on his 28th death anniversary at the Orissa High Court Bar Association hall here today.

Mahanty was the youngest lecturer in law at Barcelona University in Spain. He gave up his job and joined the legal profession in Cuttack in 1955 to serve the people. He was the president of Orissa High Court Bar Association, chairman of the Odisha State Bar Council and also the chairman of Bar Council of India for two consecutive terms.

In the event organised by the Ranjit Mahanty Memorial Committee, former judge of Supreme Court Justice Deba Priya Mohapatra said Mahanty was a man of multiple qualities. 'He was not only a legal luminary but also a social thinker who espoused the cause of the bar and the downtrodden,' he said

Recollecting the days when he was a lawyer in the high court and barrister Mahanty was senior to him, Justice Mohapatra said: 'It was a treat to hear his persuasive arguments.'

President of High Court Bar Association Ashok Kumar Parija said Mahanty was one of the few outstanding lawyers in the state who reached the pinnacle in legal practice and contributed to the development of the profession, including legal education. 'His greatest contribution to the legal system in the country was the National Law University in Bangalore, which has a five-year integrated course that brought in a paradigm shift in legal education,' Parija said.