( 1 ) THIS is a petition for quashing the order of the District Magistrate Jamnagar dated April 7 1964 directing the detention of the petitioner under sec. 3 (1) (a) (ii) of the Preventive Detention Act IV of 1950 and the order of the State Government dated June 2 1964 confirming the same and for a direction for the release of the petitioner from detention at present in the Central Jail at Rajkot.

( 2 ) AT the material time the petitioner was the Sarpanch of the gram panchayat of village Kharedi and had been so acting ever since 1956 having been elected as such from time to time. He was also the chairman of the Kharedi Multi-purpose Co-operative Society and an elected member of the Taluka Kalawad Panchayat as also a member of the District Panchayat Jamnagar District. As a member of the Swatantra Party he contested during the last general elections as a candidate of that party.

( 3 ) BY his order dated April 7 1964 the District Magistrate directed that the petitioner be detained on being satisfied with respect to him that with a view to preventing him from acting in a manner prejudicial to the maintenance of public order it was necessary to detain him. By another ord