Vantara promises full cooperation ;acknowledges the Supreme Court SIT following the Mahadevi elephant case

Following the Mahadevi elephant case, the Supreme Court appointed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) related to animal welfare, specifically elephants, according to a statement released by Reliance-owned Vantara Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre in Jamnagar, Gujarat.

“We acknowledge the order of the Supreme Court with utmost regard. Vantara remains committed to transparency, compassion and full compliance with the law. Our mission and focus continues to be the rescue, rehabilitation and care of animals,” the news agency quoted the statement.

“We will extend full cooperation to the Special Investigation Team and continue our work sincerely, always placing the welfare of animals at the heart of all our efforts. We request that the process be allowed to take place without speculation and in the best interest of the animals we serve,” the statement further noted.

The Supreme Court established a SIT on Monday to look into claims against Vantara regarding writ petitions that questioned the company’s purchase of animals from India and overseas, how the animals were treated, and financial issues, according to a report by the Bar and Bench. In addition to former Chief Justices of the Telangana and Uttarakhand High Courts, Justice Raghavendra Chauhan, former Mumbai Police Commissioner Hemant Nagrale, and Indian Revenue Service officer Anish Gupta, the SIT would be headed by retired Supreme Court judge Justice Jasti Chelameswar.

The Court observed that the petitions relied only on news reports, social media inputs, and complaints by NGOs, with “no material of probative worth.”

However, as the allegations also involved statutory bodies such as the Central Zoo Authority and CITES, the Bench said that an independent opinion was necessary “to ascertain the true factual position.”

“Accordingly, we deem it appropriate to direct for constitution of a Special Investigation Team (‘SIT’) of respectable persons of impeccable integrity and high repute having long public service,” the report quoted the court order.

The SIT has been instructed to investigate and report on matters pertaining to the purchase of animals from India and overseas, especially elephants, as well as adherence to import and export regulations, the Wild Life (Protection) Act of 1972, the International Convention on Trade of Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES), and other laws.