New Delhi: The Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) has handed the management of Vantara, an animal rescue and conservation centre run by Reliance Industries, a list of nearly 200 questions, ThePrint has learnt.
The SIT is also likely to tap the central investigative agencies, such as the Central Bureau of Investigation, Directorate of Enforcement and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, as well as the Customs department, to furnish all pending complaints against Vantara, sources aware of the details said.
These developments took place during the three-day visit to the centre by SIT members earlier last week.
Vantara is a 3,500-acre animal rescue and conservation centre founded by Reliance Industries and Reliance Foundation in Gujarat’s Jamnagar.
Hearing a couple of petitions that alleged irregularities on compliance with rules of animal acquisition from India and abroad, mistreatment of animals in captivity, financial inconsistencies, and money laundering, and also questions on compliance with Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, and other rules for zoos, a bench of Justices Pankaj Mithal and P.B. Varale last month constituted an SIT under the leadership of former Supreme Court judge J. Chelameswar. The bench however, noted that there were “only allegations” without any “supporting material” to substantiate them.
The SIT, comprising other members such as former chief justice of the Uttarakhand and Telangana high courts, Raghvendra Chauhan, former Mumbai Police Commissioner Hemant Nagrale, and Additional Commissioner of Customs Anish Gupta, has been mandated to examine aspects such as acquisition of the animals for the centre and submit a report to the apex court by 12 September, after studying the concerns highlighted in the order.
“A questionnaire containing 195 questions ranging from financial dealings to the acquisition of animals from foreign sources has been handed over to Vantara’s management. The Chief Financial Officer, as well as several other directors of the centre, were also questioned during the visit,” a source privy to the development told ThePrint.
“Vantara management has also been asked to furnish details of their international partners who have donated wildlife species. They are likely to be interrogated too by the SIT,” the source added.
ThePrint reached out to Vantara’s spokesperson on a call and on Whatsapp for a comment on the proceedings that took place during the visit by the SIT last week. This report will be updated if and when the spokesperson responds.
The SIT has so far been mandated by the apex court to verify the news reports and information on various social media platforms that are the basis of the petitions. The SIT report will then form the basis for any further orders.
For this purpose, the SIT has summoned officials of Wildlife and Forest departments of three north-eastern states—Assam, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh.
Throughout the proceedings so far, the SIT has met around 10 people, including journalists, people running non-governmental organisations (NGOs), as well as the petitioners.
“The SIT has called NGOs, journalists and other petitioners who have evidence of Vantara’s wrongdoing and has asked them to submit all evidence for their use,” another source told ThePrint.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
Also read: Why SC chose the SIT route to look into allegations against Reliance’s Vantara in Gujarat
Mistreatment of animals, are joking here.. Anant is a known animal lover, just because he is rich & made a world class infrastructure for the animals people are looking at with the lens that its a rich man’s pet zoo, which it is definitely not.
The people framing these allegations need to go & see the conditions & treatment of animals in our public zoo’s!