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‘Animal acquisitions as per law’: Supreme Court-appointed SIT gives clean chit to Vantara
‘Animal acquisitions as per law’: Supreme Court-appointed SIT gives clean chit to Vantara
A Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT), constituted to conduct an “independent factual appraisal” of complaints against Reliance-owned Vantara, a zoological rescue and rehabilitation centre in Jamnagar, Gujarat, has found no statutory irregularities in the acquisition of animals.
The SIT, headed by former Supreme Court Judge Justice J. Chelameswar, concluded that the acquisitions were in accordance with regulatory laws and recorded the satisfaction of authorities on all statutory compliance.
A Bench of Justices Pankaj Mithal and Prasanna B. Varale noted that the SIT had undertaken a “thorough and extensive investigation” into the complaints and said it had “no hesitation in accepting the conclusion so drawn in the report”.
“The imports of the animals have been made only after the issuance of valid permits. Once the imports of animals are fully documented and supported by valid permits, it is not open for anyone to go beyond the said permits and to dispute the validity attached to such permits or official acts,” the Court said.
The Bench further said that, on a perusal of the SIT report, it was “satisfied” that Vantara's practices, in certain respects, “exceed” the prescribed standards of animal husbandry, veterinary care and welfare, as well as “internationally recognised benchmarks”.
Addressing allegations of misuse of carbon credits, water resources, and financial impropriety, the Court said the SIT had found them to be baseless, relying upon responses from agencies such as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, and the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
During the proceedings, senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for Anant Ambani's Vantara, opposed making the SIT report public and urged that a “quietus” be given to the controversy once and for all.
“There is some degree of commercial confidentiality that has to be maintained. This facility is one of its kind in the world. We do not want that tomorrow there are reports appearing in the New York Times. We must have a decent burial on this issue,” he submitted. He also sought a copy of the report, stating that if it contained any suggestions for improvement, the authorities at Vantara could benefit from them.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the State of Gujarat, concurred with Mr. Salve's submission that the report should not be made public but said it may be shared with the authorities at Vantara to enable it to act on any recommendations.
He added that while he was not privy to the contents of the report, the questions framed by the Court in its August 25 order covered all aspects of the facility's functioning.
Although the Court did not make the entire SIT report public, it made the summary a part of the order, noting that it does not carry the same degree of confidentiality and provides a faithful account of the conclusions reached by the SIT.
It also directed that a copy of the report be furnished to the authorities at Vantara, subject to an undertaking that it would not be disclosed to third parties.
The Court was hearing two petitions filed by advocates C.R. Jaya Sukin and Dev Sharma, who had alleged irregularities at Vantara on the basis of media reports, social media posts, and complaints from NGOs and wildlife organisations regarding alleged violations of law and the acquisition of animals from India and abroad, particularly elephants.
The Court had earlier observed that although petitions raising such “unsubstantiated allegations” did not deserve to be entertained, it would be appropriate to order an independent enquiry to meet “the ends of justice.”
When the matter was taken up, the petitioners sought to respond to the SIT report, citing news reports that an elephant which had performed rituals at a Jammu and Kashmir temple for two decades was taken to Vantara by government officials. Mr. Salve questioned the locus of the petitioner, pointing out that the temple authorities themselves had not raised any grievance.
Refusing to entertain the allegation, the Bench remarked: “If somebody wants to acquire an animal and follows the law, what is wrong with it? You have elephants used for processions in temples. We won't go into individual allegations.”
The Court further said that repeated enquiries into the affairs of Vantara had resulted in findings which found no violation of law whatsoever. It thus recorded in the order that no further complaints or proceedings based upon the same set of allegations should be entertained before any judicial or administrative forum to “obviate repetitive enquiries”.
The Judges also commended the promptness with which the SIT submitted its report by September 12 in compliance with its earlier direction.
Besides Justice Chelameswar, the members of the SIT included Justice Raghavendra Chauhan, former Chief Justice of Uttarakhand and Telangana High Courts; Hemant Nagrale, IPS (former Mumbai Police Commissioner); and Anish Gupta, IRS, Additional Commissioner, Customs.
Also read | How Kolhapur villagers fought for an elephant
The Court had instructed the special team to look into grievances raised about the “creation of a vanity or private collection, breeding, conservation programmes and use of biodiversity resources, misutilisation of water and carbon credits, breach of laws of trade in animals or animal articles, wildlife smuggling and money laundering.”
The SIT had been asked to submit a report on a broad set of parametres such as Vantara's acquisition of animals from India and abroad, particularly elephants; its compliance with the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 and the rules for zoos made thereunder; with provisions of the law regarding trade in animals or animal articles, and with the standards of animal husbandry, veterinary care and animal welfare.
“The SIT may enquire into any other aspect it deems appropriate to submit a complete factual report to this court,” the Bench had ordered.
Reacting to the ruling, a press release by Vantara said that it welcomed the findings of the SIT that the doubts and allegations raised against Vantara's animal welfare mission were without any basis. “The validation of the truth by the distinguished and widely respected members of the SIT is not just a relief for everyone at Vantara but also a blessing, because it allows our work to speak for itself,” the facility said.
Published - September 15, 2025 01:59 pm IST
judiciary (system of justice) / animal / wildlife
Source: The Hindu
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