Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi: The Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) has given a clean chit to Anant Ambani’s Vantara project under the Reliance Foundation, stating that no irregularities were found at the wildlife facility in Jamnagar, Gujarat. The probe was ordered after concerns were raised about the keeping of wild animals at the sanctuary.
Court Observes Compliance With Rules
A bench of Justices Pankaj Mithal and P.B. Varale said on Monday that the SIT’s findings showed no violations in the process of acquiring elephants from the forest department or in their care at Vantara. The court noted there was nothing wrong if Vantara obtained elephants through proper procedures and provided them protection in compliance with all legal norms.
Background of the Probe
On August 25, the Supreme Court directed the formation of an SIT while hearing a public interest petition citing social media claims of irregularities in the acquisition and housing of elephants at Vantara. The SIT — comprising former Supreme Court judge J. Chelameswar, former Mumbai Police Commissioner Hemant Nagrale, former IRS officer Anish Gupta, and former High Court Chief Justice Raghvendra Chauhan — submitted its report to the court on September 12.
Arguments Over SIT Report Disclosure
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta represented the Gujarat government, while senior advocate Harish Salve appeared for Vantara. Both objected to incorporating the full SIT report in the court’s order. Salve argued that objections were being raised by countries allowing hunting, simply because India was making progress in wildlife care. He added that the Reliance Foundation’s wildlife centre had fully cooperated with the Supreme Court’s committee and stressed that confidential information in the report should not be made public.
