R. Subbiah, J.

This Writ Appeal is filed by the writ petitioners challenging the order dated 10.08.2016 passed by the learned Single Judge in dismissing W.P.No.27477 of 2016 filed by the appellants/writ petitioners praying to quash G.O.Ms.No.1573, Public (Tourism 1) Department, dated 27.07.1979, as published in the Tamil Nadu Government Gazette Extraordinary, Part-II, Section 2, dated 30.07.1979 in respect of the writ petitioners' lands, comprised in S.No.99/3A at No.162, Mamallapuram Village, Chengalpattu District (now Kancheepuram District), measuring an extent of 55 cents, and consequently declare all the subsequent proceedings including the sale of the said lands in the name of the seventh respondent as null and void and direct the respondents to restore the possession of the said lands to the appellants/writ petitioners.

2. The case of the appellants/writ petitioners before the learned Single Judge, inter-alia, is as follows:

(a) In the Writ Petition, the third writ petitioner/third appellant has sworn the affidavit on behalf of all the other writ petitioners, stating that the writ petitioners are the legal heirs of Late A. Thiruvengada Mudaliar. Their grandfather Late A. Thiruvengada Mudaliar and his three sons, Late T. Balaraman, Late T. Lakshmanan and Late T. Jagannathan jointly purchased a property comprised in S.No.99/3 at No.162, Mahabalipuram (Mamallapuram) Village, Chengalpattu District, within the Sub-Registration of Thirukazhikundram and within the Registration District of Madras-Chengalpattu, measuring an extent of 10 grounds (55 cents) from one Mrs.Amathulla Saleem, represented by her husband M.M. Saleem as her Power of Attorney, by a sale deed, dated 14.07.1964, registered as Doc.No.2809/1964 on the file of the Registrar, Madras-Chengalpattu.

(b) The third appellant's father Lakshmanan died on 10.05.1983 leaving behind his wife Gnanambigai (second appellant), the third appellant (son) and two daughters (appellants 4 and 5), as his legal heirs. Another son of late A. Thiruvengada Mudaliar, i.e. T. Balaraman died on 02.08.1988 leaving behind his wife B.Andal, his sons by name B. Sridharan (first appellant) and B. Mahendran as his legal heirs. Another son of T. Balaraman, i.e. B. Giridharan was missing from 1980 and his whereabouts are not known even as of today. Thereafter, B. Mahendran died on 21.05.2003 and Mrs. B. Andal died on 30.01.2011 and as of today, the first appellant alone is alive as the legal heir of Late T. Balaraman. Further, another son of Late Thiruvengada Mudaliar, i.e. T. Jagannathan died on 20.03.1995 leaving behind his widow J. Ramani (sixth appellant) and two daughters, being the eighth and ninth appellants and his son being the seventh appellant, as his legal heirs.

(c) The third appellant's grandfather A. Thiruvengada Mudaliar died on 24.11.1972 leaving behind the said three sons, among whom, one of them is the father of the third appellant and also two daughters, namely S. Ambika and T. Mallika. The said Ambika and Mallika executed jointly a release deed, dated 19.07.1973 registered as Doc.No.4393/1973 on the file of the Registrar, releasing their shares in the property of their father, in the name of their three brothers, with the result, all the appellants/writ petitioners became the absolute owners of the property in question.

(d) In the above situation, the third appellant/third writ petitioner came to know of the following facts in the year 2009 from the authorities concerned, under the provisions of the Right to Information Act, from which he came to know that their above referred to land and some other lands belonging to other owners, were notified for acquisition by the Government of Tamil Nadu under Section 4(1) of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, as the same was needed for public purpose, namely for expansion of Temple Bay and Shore Cottages at Mamallapuram Village, Chengalpattu Taluk, by the India Tourism Development Corporation Limited (ITDC), the third respondent herein,