- By Nidhi Giri
- Mon, 15 Sep 2025 02:18 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
The Supreme Court on Monday observed the acquisition of animals at Vantara, a Green Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre in Gujarat's Jamnagar was within the regulatory mechanism.
The Supreme Court’s remarks came after the Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Jasti Chelameswar submitted the findings to a bench of Justices Pankaj Mithal and Prasanna B Varale in a sealed cover with annexures and supporting materials.
"We have gone through the summary of the report. It notes erudite in regulatory compliance. It notes that stakeholders also presented views. Authorities have expressed satisfaction with the regulatory compliance," said Justice Mithal.
What's The Vantara Row
On August 14, the the Supreme Court described as "completely vague" the plea filed by petitioner C R Jaya Sukin seeking to get a monitoring committee formed to return the captive elephants in Vantara to their owners.
It had questioned Sukin, who appeared in the court in person, about the allegations made in the petition and asked Vantara to be impleaded as a party.
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The plea has sought the constitution of a monitoring committee to ensure the return of the captive elephants to their owners and "rescue all wild animals, birds from Vantara and free them into the wild".
"The law and rules have been violated. State's administration failed, some officers were compromised and others were threatened. Captive elephants were forcibly taken from temples and their owners.
"Not only national level but also international level animals and birds, some of them endangered species, were smuggled into Vantara in the name of a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation facility in Gujarat," the petition has stated.
(With Agency Inputs)