The Supreme Court has set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by former apex court judge Justice Jasti Chelameswar to conduct a detailed probe into allegations linked to Vantara. The move follows several petitions raising concerns about possible breaches of environmental, wildlife, and financial laws.

The SIT will also include Justice Raghavendra Chauhan (former Chief Justice of Uttarakhand and Telangana High Courts), Hemant Nagrale (retired IPS officer and ex-Mumbai Police Commissioner), and Anish Gupta (IRS, Additional Commissioner, Customs).

The panel’s responsibilities cover a wide spectrum of issues, such as:

• Acquisition of animals: Scrutinising the process of obtaining elephants and other species from within India and abroad.

• Regulatory compliance: Verifying adherence to the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, and zoo-related norms.

• International conventions: Checking conformity with CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) and other import/export rules.

• Animal welfare: Reviewing veterinary care, management practices, and investigating animal deaths.

• Environmental suitability: Assessing concerns about the site’s location, including its closeness to an industrial belt.

• Conservation practices: Examining breeding programmes, conservation efforts, and allegations of vanity collections.

• Resource use: Investigating complaints of misuse of water and carbon credit schemes.

• Wildlife trade violations: Looking into suspected smuggling or illegal trade.

• Financial scrutiny: Probing potential financial irregularities and money laundering.

• Additional matters: Considering any other issues brought forward during the inquiry.

The SIT has been empowered to seek input from petitioners, officials, regulators, intervenors, and journalists. It can also widen the scope of investigation if required to submit a comprehensive factual report to the Court.

The Central Zoo Authority, the CITES Management Authority, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and the Gujarat government—including its forest and police departments—have been directed to provide full cooperation to the team.