The Andhra Pradesh High Court refused to stay Google’s data center project

The High Court further says that hearing the matter before the National Green Tribunal does not prevent the court from hearing the matter in accordance with the precedents of the Supreme Court. | Photo credit: File Photo

The Andhra Pradesh High Court (HC) on Tuesday allowed the Google data center project in Visakhapatnam district to go ahead with Vizag Hyperscale Data Center Park Limited (VHDCPL) at its own risk and cost, subject to the final outcome of this writ petition filed by environmental activist Bolisetty Satyanarayana.

Chief Justice Lisa Gill and Justice Challa Gunaranjan clarified that any investment or development made would not acquire any legal equity or rights in favor of VHDCPL in the event of an adverse judgment.

They noted that hearing the matter before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) does not preclude the court from hearing the matter in accordance with Supreme Court precedents and that the NGT should be informed of the fact that the WP was currently being heard (HC).

In addition, the judges acknowledged the previous assurances given on behalf of the state on August 24, 2026, noting that strict compliance with environmental laws and due diligence had been observed.

The court declined to issue an interim injunction or status quo, allowing the development to continue while the legal review of environmental clearances and land allocation (which belongs to the Simhachalam Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple) continues.

During the arguments, Virag Gupta, counsel for the petitioner, sought immediate status quo and claimed that the actual scope of the project had been kept secret.

He insisted that since the project falls under Category A by virtue of its location within one kilometer of the Kambalakonda Wildlife Sanctuary (where all types of construction are strictly prohibited), the jurisdiction and mandatory clearance was solely with the Union of India, rendering the approval from the State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority invalid.

Advocate General Dammalapati Srinivas argued that this is a Category B project which falls under the state’s jurisdiction and a separate petition regarding environmental clearances has been filed before the NGT.

Published – 06 Oct 2026 20:46 IST