JUDGMENT

Manish Pitale, J. - Heard.

2 Rule. Rule made returnable forthwith. Heard these writ petitions finally with the consent of the learned counsel appearing for the rival parties. Though respondent Nos.1 to 7 and 9 to 34 are served in Writ Petition No.5617 of 2019, none appears for them.

3 By these two writ petitions, District Sports Councils of some Districts in the State of Maharashtra, as also the State of Maharashtra through the Department of Sports and Youth affairs, have challenged an order passed by the Industrial Court at Nagpur, whereby their preliminary objections as regards territorial jurisdiction of the Industrial Court, have been rejected.

4 applications were filed before the Industrial Court at Nagpur raising the preliminary objection of territorial jurisdiction on the ground that the complaint would be maintainable before the Industrial Court at Nagpur only as regards employees and the grievance of unfair labour practice in the Districts of Nagpur and Wardha to which the territorial jurisdiction of the Industrial Court at Nagpur extends. according to the petitioners, the complaint filed by the respondent-Zilla Krida Sankul Karmachari Sanghatana (hereinafter referred