Paritosh Banik a legal aid activist, sportsman and social worker left for his heavenly abode on May 24 after brief illness at his Gauhati residence. Late Banik had his schooling, college and post graduation from Kolkata. He did his LLB from Gauhati University. He had a very brilliant academic career and joined service in Assam Legislative Department and was posted at Shillong.
After dedicated service at Shillong he was on deputation in the Gauhati High Court at Guwahati and was associated with legal aid services from where he superannuated He widely travelled in every district of Assam for arrangement of legal aid camps for poor and down trodden people and also to provide legal aid to the under trial prisoners and convicts.
During those days legal aid camp was a regular feature to update the people about the scheme of Govt. of India. It was under his initiative large numbers of cases were settled under his mediation. He was always concerned for the early relief to the claimants of the motor accident cases. He was also associated with Assam State women Commission as a legal member. I had the occasion to work with him in several district level Lok Adalat. During his college days he was very actively connected with literary and sports activities and it was he who represented his college and universities in different sports meet, literary competition and in drama competition.
He brought laurels for his institution. After his retirement from his active service from Gauhati High Court he joined in the Gauhati High Court and enrolled himself as an advocate. He was regular in practise till his ailment, as an advocate he was equally competent in all the branches of law and extended help to poor litigants with free legal service he even bored the expenses of the poor litigants for the cause of Justice.
While serving in Shillong in Legislative Department he was very popular having cordial relations with all he was always concerned for the rights of the colleagues and when ever any of his colleagues was in problem he used to help. He was very helpful and sympathetic neighbour. The sudden death news of Late Banik has cast a pall of gloom among the legal fraternity of Gauhati High Court. Many of his friends and well wisher rushed to his house at Gauhati and paid tribute to the departed soul.
Death is inevitable, no one can escape from it but sudden death of late Banik is a big loss for the society which is not easy to fill up. Though basically he was lawyer but he had a golden heart which was full of compassion. Late Banik was 80 years old and survived by wife and a son. On the occasion of the Shradha ceremony I pay my homage for his eternal peace.
Subhash Chandra Biswas