Two independent journalists, Shamsheer Yousaf and Monica Jha, filed a writ petition with the Delhi High Court on June 30 challenging the blocking of an Instagram reel about Google’s AI data center under construction in Andhra Pradesh. The 2:01-minute reel remains inaccessible in India without a VPN, according to medianama.com. The petition seeks restoration of the content and names the Ministry of Electronics and IT, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Delhi Police’s IFSO Special Cell, and Meta (Instagram) as respondents.
The reel, geo-restricted by Instagram on May 25, 2026, featured interviews with four residents of Tarluvada village in Visakhapatnam district, where Google is building its largest data center outside the US. The reel was co-posted by the Environmental Reporting Collective and the Dirty Data project, an international investigative collaboration examining AI-driven data impacts. During a hearing on June 2, the Delhi High Court directed the respondents to file counter-affidavits within two weeks and scheduled the next hearing for July 23, 2026, as reported by medianama.com.
The case highlights ongoing concerns over content takedowns and geo-restrictions in India related to sensitive infrastructure projects. The involvement of multiple ministries and law enforcement agencies underscores the government’s scrutiny of information about AI infrastructure. This petition adds to broader debates on digital rights, transparency, and freedom of expression in the context of emerging AI technologies and data centers, which are critical to India’s technology landscape.
The Delhi High Court’s next hearing on the petition is set for July 23, 2026, when the court will review the counter-affidavits filed by the government ministries, law enforcement, and Meta, according to medianama.com.