Justice Datuk K.P. Gengadharan Nair is a Malaysian High Court judge and prior to that a prominent lawyer specializing in industrial law.
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Genga, as he was known to all, was born on April 30, 1944 in Kuala Lumpur. He was one of three children born to C.R. Nair and Lakshmi Kutty Amma.
As many from his generation who became lawyers, Genga was first a school teacher, trained at Brinsford Lodge in Liverpool and on his return, served in a number of schools, including the prestigious Victoria Institution in Kuala Lumpur.
He quickly became active in union activities.
In 1968, he quit teaching and left for London to read law at the Inner Temple. He was called to the bar after securing a Second Class degree in his first attempt at the Bar examinations.
On his return to Malaysia in 1972, Genga did his pupilage at the law firm of Xavier and Vadiveloo, a firm specializing in industrial law. With the late D.P. Xavier as his mentor, Genga established himself as an expert in industrial law.
In all his years in practice, Genga only represented trade unions and the employees, eschewing the more lucrative briefs of employers and employer associations. He was committed to the advancement of labour rights
As a member of the Malaysian Bar, he was for many years a member of the Industrial Court of Rules and Practice Committee of the Bar Council and sat on the Bar Council’s Special Committee on Review of Chambering in 2002.
When Genga was appointed Judicial Commissioner in 2003, many, especially lawyers, who have appeared before him felt that the elevation should have been made much earlier.
He showed that appeared before him that, when properly attended, litigation as developed in the common law courts was one of the finest arts for conflict resolution available to man.
In the High Court in Johor Baru, where he first heard his cases, he earned the respect of lawyers. The Court of Appeals had no difficulties in affirming his decisions.
In 1976, he married Devagey Raru. A son, Sashikharan was born in 1982. Despite a busy schedule, Genga always made time for the family.
He always spent his preciously limited time to community service. For many year, until his appointment as a judge, he was an active and respected member of the Rotary Club of Damansara.
Datuk Gengadharan Nair died on April 21, 2007.
‘Husband, father, friend and judge’, Sunday Straits Times, April 29, 2007.