The Supreme Court constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by former Supreme Court Judge Justice Jasti Chelameswar, along with other esteemed members, to conduct an independent factual inquiry into serious allegations against the private respondent, Vantara @ Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre, Jamnagar (“Vantara”).
The case originated from two public interest writ petitions under Article 32 of the Constitution filed based on media reports, social media posts, and complaints by NGOs and wildlife organizations, accusing Vantara of serious violations including unlawful acquisition of animals (both domestic and foreign), mistreatment of captive animals, financial irregularities, and allegations of money laundering.
The petitions also implicated regulatory bodies such as the Central Zoo Authority and alleged lapses in statutory enforcement under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, and international conventions like CITES. Due to the sweeping nature of allegations and apparent absence of verified evidence, the Court found it appropriate to order an independent investigation rather than rely solely on media reports.
The Bench comprising Justice Pankaj Mithal and Justice Prasanna B. Varale held that the allegations, while serious, were unsupported by credible material of probative value at the stage of the writ petitions. However, considering the concerns regarding regulatory and judicial oversight, an independent factual investigation was necessary for the ends of justice.
Consequently, the Court constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) consisting of:
- Justice Jasti Chelameswar (Former Supreme Court Judge) as Chairperson,
- Justice Raghavendra Chauhan (Former Chief Justice of Uttarakhand and Telangana High Courts),
- Hemant Nagrale, IPS (Former Mumbai Police Commissioner),
- Anish Gupta, IRS (Addl Commissioner Customs).
The Court also directed the SIT to examine and report on several aspects including animal acquisition domestically and internationally, compliance with Wild Life (Protection) Act and CITES, animal welfare standards, alleged financial irregularities, misuse of resources, and smuggling or trade in wildlife.
It directed full cooperation from the Central Zoo Authority, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, State of Gujarat, and all individuals and entities, including Vantara.
The SIT has been ordered to submit its report by 12 September 2025 and the petitions have been listed for further proceedings on 15 September 2025 after report submission. The Court categorically clarified that this order was for fact-finding only and did not express any opinion on the allegations or statutory authorities at this stage.
For the Petitioner(s): Mr. Harsh Vardhan Singh, Adv.; Mr. Akash, Adv.; Mr. Amit Kumar, Adv.; Ms. Sejal Sharma, Adv.; Mr. Srajan Shankar Kulshrestha, Adv.; Mr. Ashish Pandey, AOR; Mr. Raghav Sabharwal, Adv.; Mr. Raghav Malhotra, Adv.; Ms. Ridhi Goel, Adv.; Ms. Divya Mishra, Adv.; Ms. Yashika Anand, Adv.; Md. Sadath Hussain, Adv.; Mrs. Suresh Kumari, Adv.
For the Respondent(s): Mr. Manish Tiwari, AOR; Mr. Shardul Singh, Adv.; Ms. Prerna Gandhi, Adv.; Mr. Anish Shahpurkar, Adv.