Google-Adani data centre PIL: Andhra Pradesh High Court adjourns hearing, State assures environment protection

Google-Adani data centre PIL: Andhra Pradesh High Court adjourns hearing, State assures environment protection

A division bench of the Andhra Pradesh High Court hears a Public Interest Litigation challenging the environmental clearance and land allotment for the proposed Google-Adani data centre in Visakhapatnam, as the State government assures the court that all steps are being taken in accordance with law to protect the environment.

160 Acres of Temple Land and a Data Centre

The proposed Google-Adani data centre, which would occupy 160 acres of land belonging to the Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Devasthanam in Simhachalam, has come under legal scrutiny. The land, spread across Adavivaram and Mudasarlova villages in Visakhapatnam Rural Mandal, is part of a larger project ecosystem spanning Visakhapatnam and Anakapalli districts. The project has drawn opposition from environmental activist and Jal Biradari National Convenor Bolisetty Satyanarayana, who filed the PIL questioning both the project's Environmental Clearance and the procedure followed in allotting the temple land.

A Typo That Changed the Distance?

The crux of the petitioner's challenge concerns the project's Category B2 Environmental Clearance granted by the State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA). The petitioner contends that the project site lies merely 0.86 km from the Kambalakonda Wildlife Sanctuary, where commercial construction within one kilometre is prohibited. Alarmingly, the SEAC minutes recorded the distance as 850 km instead of 0.86 km—a mistake the SEIAA later termed a typographical error, clarifying that the PARIVESH Portal records it as approximately 850 metres and the DFO's Forest NOC notes the sanctuary itself at 750 metres and its eco-sensitive zone at 470 metres.

The petitioner also raised concerns over the Mudasarlova Reservoir, located about 120 metres from the project site, which serves as a critical drinking water source for Visakhapatnam city. Additionally, the plea highlights that the site allegedly falls within an Eco-Sensitive Zone and contains around 200 trees, of which 40 are proposed to be felled and 20 transplanted. The petitioner claims that requisite permissions under the Andhra Pradesh Water, Land and Trees Act (WALTA) and the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 have not been obtained.

Furthermore, the PIL challenges the allotment of the 160 acres of Simhachalam Devasthanam land, alleging that it was transferred to the project entity without following the mandatory procedure under Section 80(1)(b) of the A.P. Charitable and Hindu Religious Institutions and Endowments Act, 1987, which requires notice to interested persons.

'Due Care and Caution': State's Assurance to the Court

When the matter came up before a division bench of Chief Justice Lisa Gill and Justice Challa Gunaranjan on August 24 , the State government, through its counsel, submitted that " due care and caution is being exercised in ensuring that all steps are taken within the parameters of law and due care is taken for protection of environment." The court noted that counters had been filed on behalf of respondent Nos.4, 6 and 10, though the petitioner's counsel had only received the counter from respondent No.6 by then.

SEIAA, in its reply, defended the Environment Clearance, asserting that data centres are not specifically covered under the Schedule to the EIA Notification, 2006. On the basis of the project's built-up area, it was assessed under Item 8(a) as a Category B2 Building and Construction Project, which does not require a full Environment Impact Assessment report or public consultation. SEIAA maintained that the General Conditions do not apply to such projects.

The authority also highlighted that the Environmental Clearance includes specific conditions mandating that project activities do not adversely impact the Mudasarlova Reservoir or the Kambalakonda Wildlife Sanctuary. Moreover, the project proponent has allocated Rs. 900 lakh as capital cost and Rs. 155 lakh per annum as recurring cost towards the Environmental Management Plan, and has volunteered to develop avenue plantation in Visakhapatnam as part of its CSR activity.

The Court's Order

After hearing the counsel at length, the court adjourned the matter to September 2, 2026, for arguments and directed that pleadings be completed positively before that date. The order, a brief procedural step, indicates that the court is yet to examine the merits of the competing claims.

What Happens Next?

With the matter now listed for early September, the court is expected to hear detailed arguments on the legality of the Category B2 clearance, the compliance with distance norms from the wildlife sanctuary, and the validity of the land allotment under the Endowments Act. The outcome will have significant implications for large infrastructure projects near ecologically sensitive areas in Andhra Pradesh.