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26. The second contention advanced at the hands of the learned counsel for the appellants was based on the constitutional right available to the appellants, under Article 300A of the Constitution of India (hereinafter referred to as the ‘Constitution’). Article 300A is being extracted hereunder:-

“300A. Persons not to be deprived of property save by authority of law – No person shall be deprived of his property save by authority of law.” Based on the aforesaid constitutional provision, it was emphatically asserted on behalf of the appellants, that an individual could not be deprived of his property except in accordance with law. It was submitted, that even if the lands of the appellants were to be acquired for a public purpose, the same could have been done only by following the procedure established by law. In the absence of following the prescribed procedure, the acquisition itself must be deemed to have been made in violation of the constitutional rights vested in the appellants under Article 300A of the Constitution.
7. Ours is a constitutional democracy and the rights available to the citizens are declared by the Constitution. Although Article 19(1)(f) was deleted by the Forty-fourth Amendment to the Constitution, Article 300A has been placed in the Constitution, which reads as follows:
"300A. Persons not to be deprived of property save by authority of law - No person shall be deprived of his property save by authority of law."

(ii) Reliance was then placed on the decision rendered by this Court in Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd. vs. Darius Shapur Chennai & Ors., (2005) 7 SCC 627. In order to expound the nature of rights vested in the appellants under Article 300A of the Constitution, reliance was placed on the following observations recorded therein :

“6. It is not in dispute that Section 5-A of the Act confers a valuable right in favour of a person whose lands are sought to be acquired. Having regard to the provisions contained in Article 300A of the Constitution of India, the State in exercise of its power of “eminent domain” may interfere with the right of property of a person by acquiring the same but the same must be for a public purpose and reasonable compensation therefor must be paid.

9. It is trite that hearing given to a person must be an effective one and not a mere formality. Formation of opinion as regard the public purpose as also suitability thereof must be preceded by application of mind as regards consideration of relevant factors and rejection of irrelevant ones. The State in its decision making process must not commit any misdirection in law. It is also not in dispute that Section 5-A of the Act confers a valuable important right and having regard to the provisions, contained in Article 300A of the Constitution of India has been held to be akin to a fundamental right.” (emphasis is ours)