JUDGMENT

1 Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation-Petitioner is aggrieved by orders passed by Industrial Court, Pune, in entertaining Complaint (ULP) No.139 of 1999 filed on behalf of persons, whom it brands as ‘contractors’, by rejecting the preliminary objection of maintainability vide order dated 22 November 2002. It is also aggrieved by the final judgment and order dated 30 January 2023 allowing the Complaint and declaring that the Complainants are employees of the Petitioner-Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC). The Industrial Court has further directed the Petitioner-PCMC to absorb Complainants in service from the dates of their initial joining alongwith arrears of wages on par with its permanent employees doing similar work. Accordingly, Writ Petition No.4931 of 2003 is filed challenging the order on preliminary issue dated 22 November 2002 whereas Writ Petition No.1860 of 2024 is filed challenging the final judgment and order dated 30 January 2023.

2 Narration of few basic facts leading to filing the Petitions would be necessary. Petitioner is a Municipal Corporation established under the provisions of Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Act, 1949 (MMC Act). Petitioner