Listen to this article:

Bengaluru: On Monday, September 15, the Supreme Court absolved Vantara of any charges of wrongdoing.

It held that Vantara – the Reliance-owned zoo, rescue and rehabilitation centre in Jamnagar, Gujarat – has not committed any illegalities in its operations or functioning, and that all allegations levelled against it, including those around illegal smuggling of wildlife, fudged import permits and financial impropriety, were baseless. The court then closed all complaints and petitions pertaining to this.

The court’s order followed a 20-day probe by a four-member Special Investigation Team (SIT), constituted on August 25, which coordinated with at least 16 agencies including the Central Bureau of Investigation, visited Vantara to see the facility and submitted its report on September 12.

However the Supreme Court chose to not make the report – submitted in a sealed cover by the SIT – public.

In its order dated September 15, a bench comprising Justices Pankaj Mithal and P.B. Varale noted that the SIT’s report had found that all allegations against Vantara are “without merit”, “baseless” and “unfounded”. These included allegations of illegal smuggling of wildlife, financial impropriety and more. The order also held that Vantara had not violated any Indian or international laws, including the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

In its order, the bench directed that the SIT report be “re-sealed and kept confidential”. Only its  summary — which the bench said was “exhaustive” and “does not carry comparable sensitiveness or attract the same degree of confidentiality but provides a faithful account of the conclusions reached by the SIT” – would be made public.

Meanwhile, the bench directed that Vantara, the respondent, be given a copy of the entire report. “The proceedings of the report of the SIT i.e., its report and annexures including the pen drive be re-sealed and kept confidential but complete copy of the same be furnished to the respondent – Vantara, may be electronic copy of the same for its own use and record subject to an undertaking that it shall not be disclosed to third parties,” the order read.

The........

© The Wire