( 1 ) IN these writ petitions under Arts. 226 and 227 of the Constitution of india, the petitioners have sought for the issue of a writ of certiorari or any other suitable writ to strike down the Karnataka Debt Relief Act of 1976 (to be hereinafter called as the 'act') and to direct respondents to forbear from proceeding with the cases in pursuance of the notice at exhibits 'a' 'b' 'c' 'e' and 'f' and to pass such other suitable orders for the return of the articles seized in all the cases.

( 2 ) COMMON questions of law and facts arise in these writ petitions and therefore they are heard together and disposed of by a common order.

( 3 ) THE 1st petitioner Aswathanarayana Setty is a cloth merchant and partner of Onkar House. He is doing money lending business holding a licence. The 2nd petitioner is a general merchant. The 3rd petitioner is a wholesale merchant in food grains and also owner of a lorry. The 4th petitioner is the divided brother of the petitioner-1 and living separately. They are income-tax and sales-tax assessees. Their case is that the Circle inspector of Police Sira, the 3rd respondent came to their house on 10-9-76 at about 5-45 a. m. along with the Sheristedar of

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