The Orissa High Court held a Full Court reference on Friday (September 11) to bid farewell to its senior-most Judge Justice Manash Ranjan Pathak upon his transfer to the Gujarat High Court. The meeting was chaired by Chief Justice Harish Tandon and was attended by all the Judges of the High Court, along with members of the Bar and the Registry.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Justice Harish Tandon expressed gratitude to Justice Pathak for his vast contributions, both on judicial and administrative sides, during his short tenure of 13 months at the Orissa High Court. He praised the outgoing Judge's affability, judicial acumen, hospitality and polite behaviour. He further said that what is a loss to the Orissa High Court is a gain to the Gujarat High Court.

Advocate General Pitambar Acharya regretted that Justice Pathak, being the senior-most Judge, who was likely to hold the charge of the Chief Justice of the High Court upon retirement of the incumbent Chief Justice this November, was transferred to Gujarat before it could materialize.

“Justice Pathak's journey from North to East and from East to West is a celebrated journey. Maa Kamakhya sent His Lordship to Srikhetra (abode of Lord Jagannath) and Srikhetra sent him back to Dwarka. It's a very beautiful journey. A pious man always has a pious journey,” he added.

Prasanna Kumar Parhi, Deputy Solicitor General of India and Lalatendu Samantaray, President of the Orissa High Court Bar Association (OHCBA) also praised the Judge's rich contributions despite having a very short tenure in Cuttack.

Justice Pathak, speaking at the end, expressed deep gratitude to the legal fraternity of Odisha for warmly accepting him in the High Court.

“Now that I am being transferred from this Court, I cannot stop myself of having the feeling that I should have been posted here years ago. The warmth, love and affection I have received from each one of you in Odisha will remain an unforgettable part of my journey and I will carry it with me wherever I go.”

He thanked the Chief Justice and his companion Judges for all the cooperation in successful discharge of his duties. He said they made sure that he never feels like an outsider in Odisha. He considered himself fortunate to have been a Judge of the Court having a rich history. He expressed gratitude to the Registry and staff and called them “backbone” of the judicial system.

“Today I move from this land of Mahaprabhu Shri Jagannath to the land of Lord Krishna to carry out the command of the Almighty and to serve the purpose for which I joined this institution. But wherever I go, a part of me always remain here in these Courtrooms and corridors.”

Justice Pathak was born on August 28, 1965 at Guwahati. After completing schooling from Guwahati, he graduated in Arts from St. Josephs' College, Bangalore and obtained LL.B. Degree from the then Government Law College, Panbazar, Guwahati under Gauhati University. He was enrolled as an Advocate with the Bar Council of Assam, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh on 12.09.1990.

He primarily practised Civil, Constitutional, Land Acquisition and Service matters and also served as a Standing Counsel for the State of Tripura from 2004 till bifurcation of the High Court and was also a Member of the Law Commission, Assam as well as Member of the Indian Law Institute, till his elevation to the Bench.

He was elevated as an Additional Judge of the Gauhati High Court on May 22, 2013 and sworn in as a permanent Judge with effect from November 12, 2018. Later, he was transferred to the Orissa High Court and sworn in on July 21, 2025. The Supreme Court Collegium recommended his transfer to the Gujarat High Court on August 06, 2026. The Centre recently notified his transfer. He is due to retire on August 27, 2027.

With the transfer of Justice Pathak, the working strength of the Orissa High Court has gone down to a historic low of merely 15 Judges, against a sanctioned strength of 33 Judges. Though the names of four Advocates have been recommended by the Supreme Court Collegium for appointment in the last month, their appointment is yet to be notified. The Court is all set to have two more vacancies with the superannuation of Chief Justice Tandon and Justice Chittaranjan Dash in November, 2026.