( 1 ) THESE three Special Civil Applications have been filed on behalf of the detenu concerned in each of these three cases, i. e. , Shri Naresh ramkumar Mittal, Surendra Ramkumar Mittal and Rajesh Ramkumar Mittal, through their wives, namely, Ms. Urmila N. Mittal, Ms. Manju S. Mittal and Ms. Priti R. Mittal respectively. These three petitioners have challenged the detention orders passed against their husbands separately in each of these three petitions on 15th January, 1996, 15th January 1996 and 12th January 1996 respectively by the joint Secretary to the Government of India, Ministry of Finance, Department of revenue, as specially empowered under Sec. 3 (1) of the Conservation of Foreign exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act, 1974, which will be hereinafter referred to as "the COFEPOSA Act". All these three orders have been signed by Shri K. L. Verma, Joint Secretary to the Government of India. The detention orders against the three detenus residing at Mittal House, Behind Goyal tower, ATIRA Road, Ahmedabad, were executed on 17th January, 1996. Initially, while under detention the three detenus were detained and kept in custody in the central Prison