Supreme Court sets up SIT to investigate Vantara rescue centre, how it acquires animals

The Supreme Court on Monday constituted a Special Investigation Team to look into the functioning of Vantara, the animal rescue centre run by Reliance Foundation in Gujarat’s Jamnagar, Live Law reported.

The SIT will investigate whether the centre complies with the 1972 Wildlife Protection Act and zoo rules, and statutes governing the acquisition of animals from India and abroad, particularly elephants.

A bench of Justices Pankaj Mithal and PB Varale passed the order on two petitions filed following the controversy over the shifting of an ailing elephant from a temple in Kolhapur to Vantara in July.

The first petition demanded that a monitoring committee be set up to look into alleged irregularities at the rescue centre, all captive elephants be returned to their owners and all wild animals at the facility be released back to the wild.

The second petition challenged the transfer of the ailing elephant named Madhuri or Madhavi to Vantara.

For more than 30 years, the elephant had been at a Jain monastery, named the Swastishri Jinsen Bhattarak Pattacharya Mahaswami Sansthan Mutt, in Kolhapur’s Nandani village.

In July, the Bombay High Court ordered Madhuri’s rehabilitation to Vantara, and the Supreme Court subsequently upheld the order. The elephant was moved to the Reliance Foundation-run centre in Gujarat on July 30, sparking protests in Kolhapur.

On August 5, Maharashtra Chief Minister...

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