Supreme Court Clears Vantara Wildlife Facility in Gujarat After SIT Probe
The Supreme Court of India has given a big thumbs-up to the Vantara wildlife facility in Gujarat’s Jamnagar. On Monday, the court accepted a detailed report from a Special Investigation Team (SIT) that found no wrongdoing in how animals were moved to the facility. This comes as a relief amid earlier concerns about animal welfare and legal compliance.
A bench led by Justice Pankaj Mithal and Justice Prasanna B. Varale opened the sealed report right in the courtroom. They read out the key findings, which confirmed that all wildlife transfers at Vantara followed the rules under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. The judges mentioned they’ll review everything closely and issue a full order after lunch. "We’ll check the report, and if any steps are needed, we’ll take them," the bench assured.
The SIT, headed by retired Supreme Court judge Justice Jasti Chelameswar, wrapped up its work last week. Other members included former Chief Justice of Uttarakhand and Telangana High Courts Justice Raghvendra Chauhan, ex-Mumbai Police Commissioner Hemant Nagrale, and senior IRS officer Anish Gupta. They handed over the report in a sealed cover, along with a pen drive containing extra details and annexures. The court officially noted this on September 12.
This probe kicked off after the Supreme Court ordered the SIT’s formation on August 25. It looked into serious allegations against Vantara, including illegal animal acquisitions from India and abroad—especially elephants—plus issues like CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) violations, poor veterinary care, animal welfare standards, claims of a "vanity collection," water and carbon credit misuse, and even money laundering suspicions. The court stressed this was just a fact-finding mission to help them decide, not an attack on Vantara or any government bodies.
The whole thing started with two public interest litigations (PILs) filed in the Supreme Court. These demanded a deep dive into reports of illegal wildlife transfers and elephant captivity at Vantara, run by the Reliance group in Jamnagar. For now, the SIT’s clean chit means Vantara’s operations get the green light, but the court will share more details soon. Stay tuned for updates on this wildlife protection case.
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