{"id":94307,"date":"2025-09-15T20:55:46","date_gmt":"2025-09-15T20:55:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=94307"},"modified":"2025-09-15T20:55:46","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T20:55:46","slug":"indias-top-court-clears-vantara-of-wrongdoing-says-zoo-complies-with-all-laws","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=94307","title":{"rendered":"India\u2019s top court clears Vantara of wrongdoing, says zoo complies with all laws"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n \t<\/i> Read Time:<\/span>1 Minute, 56 Second <\/div>\n\n <\/div>
\n

The Supreme Court of India on Monday cleared Vantara, a private zoo and wildlife conservation project in Gujarat backed by Reliance Foundation, of allegations that it illegally acquired animals or violated welfare standards.<\/p>\n

The Court\u2019s decision followed the submission of a report by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of retired judges, which examined Vantara\u2019s operations with assistance from the Central Zoo Authority, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, CITES Management Authority of India, Central Bureau of Investigation, Enforcement Directorate, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Customs Department and state police agencies.<\/p>\n

The SIT said it had found \u201cno foul play\u201d and confirmed that Vantara complied with the Wildlife (Protection) Act, Zoo Rules, Customs Act, FEMA, PMLA, BNSS and the CITES Convention. The Court accepted the findings in full, adding that allegations against the facility were speculative and amounted to an abuse of process.<\/p>\n

According to the Court, all animal rescues and transfers were conducted with valid permits and subject to oversight by multiple authorities. It also noted that Vantara\u2019s facilities met or exceeded prescribed welfare and veterinary benchmarks, citing the Global Humane Society\u2019s award of its \u201cGlobal Humane Certified Seal of Approval.\u201d<\/p>\n

The SIT highlighted ongoing programmes such as cheetah breeding, elephant rescues and the reintroduction of the endangered Spix\u2019s Macaw as legitimate conservation efforts based on scientific standards. The panel also pointed out that earlier inquiries and legal petitions against Vantara had ended with similar conclusions of no wrongdoing.<\/p>\n

Reliance Foundation, which operates Vantara, has not commented on the Court\u2019s order.<\/p>\n

Located on a 3,500-acre site in Jamnagar, Gujarat, Vantara houses more than 2,000 species, including elephants and tigers. It was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March 2025 and drew global attention earlier this year as one of the venues for Anant Ambani\u2019s pre-wedding celebrations.<\/p>\n

The facility has been criticised by some wildlife activists, who argue the region\u2019s climate is unsuitable for certain animals. In July, protests erupted in Maharashtra after an ailing temple elephant was transferred to Vantara, but the Supreme Court dismissed a petition against the move, saying an independent inquiry had already cleared the relocation.<\/p>\n

With the latest ruling, India\u2019s highest court has effectively ended months of speculation surrounding Vantara\u2019s compliance record, underscoring its legal standing and conservation credentials.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n \n
\n \n \"Happy\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Happy <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n \n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Sad\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Sad <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Excited\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Excited <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Sleepy\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Sleepy <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n \n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Angry\"\n <\/a>\n
Angry<\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Surprise\"\n <\/a>\n
Surprise<\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\"India\u2019sThe Supreme Court of India on Monday cleared Vantara, a private zoo and wildlife conservation project in Gujarat backed by Reliance Foundation, of allegations that it illegally acquired animals or violated welfare standards.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2811,10,9,2145,8615,8616],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-94307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-india","category-politics","category-popular","category-travel-and-tourism","category-vantara","category-zoo-laws"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94307","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=94307"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94307\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=94307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=94307"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=94307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}