Ahmedabad, June 9, 2025
Gujarat High Court’s Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal on Monday administered the oath of office to Justice Nernahalli Srinivasan Sanjay Gowda, who has been appointed as a judge of the court.
The swearing-in ceremony at the High Court was attended by other judges, Advocate General Kamal Trivedi, senior advocates, and court officials.
Justice Sanjay Gowda was earlier serving as a judge of the Karnataka High Court before he was transferred to Gujarat.
Born on February 15, 1967, he began his legal career after enrolling as an advocate with the Karnataka State Bar Council on August 31, 1989.
A graduate of BMS College of Law in Bengaluru, he built a legal career before being appointed as a judge of the Karnataka High Court. He was sworn in as an additional Judge on November 11, 2019, and later elevated to the position of permanent Judge on September 8, 2021.
During his tenure in Karnataka, Justice Gowda delivered several notable judgments across diverse areas, including service law, labour rights, land acquisition, municipal governance, and RTI regulations.
His rulings emphasised equitable treatment for contract workers, clarified service-related entitlements, and interpreted industrial policies with legal precision. During his tenure at the Karnataka High Court, he handled a wide spectrum of cases that reflected his strong grasp of constitutional, administrative, and labour laws.
He was known for his clarity in interpreting service conditions and addressing complex questions related to recruitment, promotions, and reservation policies.
In one ruling, he held that candidates promoted against backlog vacancies should be treated as supernumerary until regular posts become available, thereby protecting the integrity of reservation norms while maintaining administrative balance.
In the realm of labour law, Justice Gowda emphasised the principle of “equal pay for equal work”, asserting that contract workers performing the same duties as regular employees were entitled to the same wages – a judgment that had far-reaching implications for labour welfare and contract employment policies in Karnataka.(Agency)
