( 1 ) THE petitioner has appeared at the examination held on 30-8-1998 by Karnataka public service commission for the Karnataka civil service group 'a'/'b' post, the result whereof is still awaited. He has questioned the validity of Rule 3-b read with Rule 2 (1) (mm) of the Karnataka civil services (general recruitment) rules, 1977 (in short, the 'rules') which provide for giving of a weightage of 10% marks to the rural candidates in giving public employment under the state's civil services.

( 2 ) PURSUANT to the powers conferred on the state government under Section 3 of the Karnataka state civil services Act, 1978 (karnataka act 14 of 1990), the state government has made the Karnataka civil service (general recruitment) (forty-third amendment) rules, 1993, whereby it amended the rules by inserting clause (mm) in sub-rule (1) of Rule 2 defining 'rural candidate' and an independent Rule 3-b providing for 'weightage of marks to rural candidates' in order to give preference to them in public employment.

( 3 ) SUBSEQUENTLY, clause (mm) in sub-rule (1) of Rule 2 and Rule 3-b of the rules were subjected to various amendments by the Karnataka civil services (general recr