( 1 ) ISSUE rule. These Writ Petitions are taken up with the consent of parties for final disposal. Heard the learned Counsel for the petitioners and the learned Advocate General for the State.

( 2 ) THE Petitioners, in these Writ Petitions, challenge various amendments introduced in the Karnataka Co-operative Societies Act. 1956 (hereinafter referred to as the Act ).

( 3 ) THE easiest way to understand the case would be to extract the unamended Sections and the amended Sections of the Act side by side. Only the relevant sub-sections are extracted for the sake of brevity.

( 4 ) THE petitioners are the co-operative societies registered under the Act. The area of operation is confined to their respective Town in which they are situated. The total membership of petitioners co-operative societies and the number of directors in the Board of Directors are as follows

( 5 ) IT was submitted that the Karnataka Co-operative Societies Act, 1959 was amended from time to time and now it is amended by Karnataka Act No. 25 of 1998 which came into force on 15. 8. 1998 and some of the amending sections were given effect to on 27. 10. 1998. The major changes which affected the r