The Supreme Court on Monday said there was nothing unlawful about the transfer of elephants to Reliance Foundation’s Vantara initiative in Gujarat, provided that all legal procedures were followed. A bench of Justices Pankaj Mithal and P.B. Varale made the observation while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the movement of elephants to the privately run wildlife facility in Jamnagar.
The top court noted that a Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Jasti Chelameswar, had already examined the matter and found no irregularities. “There is nothing wrong if Vantara takes over elephants from the forest department as long as the procedure is followed,” the bench said. “The SIT constituted by us has reported that authorities have expressed satisfaction on the issues of compliance and regulatory measures."
Justice Mithal further read from the SIT’s findings, observing that “acquisition of animals… was carried out in regulatory compliance”.
The court confirmed that the SIT report would be taken on record but clarified that it had deliberately refrained from reading it in advance. “We will look into the report and, if any action has to be taken, we will pass orders,” the bench remarked.
However, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and senior advocate Harish Salve, representing Vantara, objected to publishing the report in full. Salve argued that it contained sensitive details about animal care practices and proprietary information. “My only concern is, when the committee came, the whole staff of Vantara was made available, everything was shown,” Salve said. “There are certain propriety concerns as to how the animals are being looked after… Large sums have been spent with experts to develop these systems. There is some degree of commercial confidentiality. We don’t want the rest of the world to misuse this information.”
In addition, Justice Mithal dismissed these apprehensions, stating that the court was satisfied with the committee’s work. “We will not permit anyone to raise such objections. We are satisfied with the report of the committee. They have taken help of experts and gone through everything. Whatever they have submitted, we will go by that.” He stated that all authorities remained free to act on the SIT’s recommendations. “We will not permit anyone to raise questions again and again.”
When counsel attempted to raise objections about temple elephants being moved to Vantara, the bench refused to reopen the matter.
It was further emphasised that unnecessary controversy should not overshadow India’s achievements in wildlife care.“See, there are certain things we probably feel are the pride of this country. We should not unnecessarily rake up all these matters and raise hue and cry for the sake of that. Allow certain good things to happen to the country. We should be happy about these good things,” he said.
“If the acquisition of an elephant is in accordance with the law, what is the difficulty? You maintain your elephants in the temple and use them for procession, use them for Dussehra. In Mysore, you do it. If someone follows the law and acquires an elephant, what is wrong in it?” questioned Justice Mithal.
The SIT had been tasked with probing allegations of illegal animal acquisition, compliance with the Wildlife (Protection) Act and international treaties, veterinary and welfare standards, environmental suitability of Vantara’s facilities, and financial transparency. It reportedly carried out on-site inspection in Jamnagar and engaged with regulators, intervenors, and independent experts.
The Reliance Foundation had earlier welcomed the probe and pledged full cooperation, reiterating its commitment to transparency. Salve told the court that Vantara had made all its staff and records available to investigators. Spread over thousands of acres within Reliance’s refinery complex, Vantara is one of the world’s largest privately run animal care facilities. It houses rescued elephants, provides veterinary care, and undertakes conservation projects.
