Supreme Court clears Vantara elephant project, rejects PIL: Top 5 things to know

The Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) has cleared Gujarat’s Vantara zoological rescue and rehabilitation centre of any wrongdoing, according to a PTI report.

“Vantara is in strict compliance with laws; do not tarnish it," the Supreme Court bench remarked after reviewing the SIT findings, as reported by LiveLaw.

The top court constituted the four-member SIT headed by a former apex court judge on August 25 while hearing two PILs alleging irregularities against Vantara on the basis of reports in the media and social media and diverse complaints from NGOs and wildlife organisations.

On August 14, the top 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.

On Monday, a bench comprising Justices Pankaj Mithal and PB Varale took the SIT report on record and observed that the concerned authorities were satisfied with Vantara’s compliance and regulatory practices.

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The apex court said it would issue a detailed order later in the day.

Here are five things to know about Vantara:

• Vantara is a first-of-its-kind animal rescue and rehabilitation centre in India, conceptualised under the leadership of Anant Ambani, Director on the boards of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) and Reliance Foundation. Located within the 3,000-acre Green Belt of RIL’s Jamnagar Refinery Complex in Gujarat, the initiative aims to become a global leader in wildlife conservation.

• The centre is designed to set new benchmarks in animal care and conservation. It includes cutting-edge healthcare infrastructure, research institutions, and academic centres. Vantara collaborates with leading international organisations like the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to integrate advanced research and global best practices.

• Over the past few years, Vantara has rescued more than 200 elephants and thousands of other animals, reptiles, and birds from life-threatening conditions. It also runs specialised rehabilitation programmes for key species including rhinoceroses, leopards, and crocodiles.

• Vantara houses a 1,00,000 sq. ft. hospital and medical research centre equipped with state-of-the-art technology. Facilities include an ICU, MRI, CT scan, X-ray, ultrasound, endoscopy, dental scaler, lithotripsy, dialysis, OR1 technology for live surgical conferencing, and a blood plasma separator.

• Today, the Vantara ecosystem is home to more than 200 elephants; over 300 big cats including tigers, lions, jaguars, and leopards; more than 300 herbivores like deer; and over 1,200 reptiles including crocodiles, snakes, and turtles—offering them a safe and nurturing environment.

With inputs from agencies