Supreme Court Appointed SIT Gives Clean Chit to Vantara..
Varahimedia.com online news, New Delhi, september 15th, 2025 : The Supreme Court today accepted the report of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) that gave a clean chit to Vantara, the
Varahimedia.com online news, New Delhi, september 15th, 2025 : The Supreme Court today accepted the report of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) that gave a clean chit to Vantara, the zoological rescue and rehabilitation center in Gujarat’s Jamnagar. The SIT found that the center’s compliance and regulatory measures were satisfactory.
A bench of Justices Pankaj Mithal and P.B. Varale noted that the probe panel, which was formed on August 25 to investigate allegations of irregularities, had submitted its report on September 12. The court stated it would pass a detailed order after reviewing the report.
The four-member SIT was headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Jasti Chelameswar and included former high court chief judge Justice Raghavendra Chauhan, former Mumbai police commissioner Hemant Nagrale, and former Indian Revenue Service officer Anish Gupta.
Vantara’s Confidentiality and SC’s Observations..
During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and Senior Advocate Harish Salve, representing Vantara, objected to the court’s plan to include the SIT report’s details in its final order. Salve argued that sharing such details could compromise commercially sensitive information and expose the facility’s best practices to rivals and negative media narratives. “This is something which is the rival of the world; this kind of facility… If the whole record is put, we don’t want the rest of the world to know,” he stated.
The bench dismissed these concerns, emphasizing its satisfaction with the independent committee’s findings. “We are satisfied with the report of the committee… We will go by that,” the court said, adding that authorities are free to take action based on the report’s recommendations.
The court also dismissed an intervention plea regarding a temple elephant, stating that it should not “unnecessarily rake up all these matters.” The bench added that if an elephant is acquired in accordance with the law, there is nothing wrong with it, encouraging people to appreciate the positive work being done.
The SIT was tasked with investigating various allegations, including Vantara’s acquisition of animals, particularly elephants, from India and abroad, compliance with wildlife laws, animal welfare standards, and financial compliance. The clean chit from the SIT indicates that Vantara was found to be in satisfactory compliance with these regulations.
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