The Supreme Court criticised a petition seeking to return captive elephants from Gujarat’s Vantara rescue centre, calling it “completely vague” and directing the petitioner to add Vantara as a party. The case will be heard next on August 25.
The Supreme Court on Thursday, August 14, called a petition seeking the creation of a monitoring committee for returning captive elephants at Vantara — a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centre for wild animals — “completely vague”.
A bench of Justices Pankaj Mithal and P.B. Varale made this observation while hearing the plea filed by advocate C.R. Jaya Sukin, who appeared in person.
The court pointed out that the petitioner was making serious allegations against Vantara without even making the organisation a party in the case.
“You are making allegations against parties which are not represented here. You have not made them respondents. You implead them and then come back to us we will see,”
the bench told the petitioner.
The court has now asked him to add Vantara as a respondent and has fixed the next hearing for August 25.
The Supreme Court also decided to tag a similar petition with Sukin’s plea. Earlier, the petition was mentioned before Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai for urgent listing.
In his plea, Sukin requested the constitution of a monitoring committee to ensure that captive elephants are returned to their owners.
The petition also sought directions to
“rescue all wild animals, birds from Vantara and free them into the wild”.
The petition further alleged:
“The law and rules have been violated. States’ administration failed, some officers were compromised and others were threatened. Captive elephants were forcibly taken from temples and their owners.”
It also claimed:
“Not only national level but also international level animals and birds, some of them endangered species, were smuggled into Vantara in the name of a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation facility in Gujarat.”
The matter will now be taken up on August 25, when the petitioner is expected to add Vantara as a respondent before the Supreme Court considers the allegations in detail.
Background of the Case
The case revolves around a petition filed by advocate C.R. Jaya Sukin, who approached the Supreme Court seeking the formation of a monitoring committee to oversee the return of captive elephants kept at Vantara, a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation facility in Gujarat.
The petitioner alleged that elephants had been forcibly taken from temples and their owners, and further claimed that various wild animals and birds, including endangered species from both within India and abroad, had been brought into Vantara under the guise of rescue and rehabilitation.
According to the plea, there were serious violations of wildlife protection laws and administrative failures, with some officials allegedly being compromised or threatened. The petitioner sought directions to release all such animals and birds from Vantara back into the wild.
The matter gained attention when it was urgently brought to the attention of the Chief Justice of India, leading to its listing before a bench comprising Justices Pankaj Mithal and P.B. Varale.
CASE TITLE:
C.R. Jaya Sukin v. Union of India and Ors. & Dev Sharma v. Union of India
W.P.(C) No. 783/2025 & W.P.(C) No. 779/2025
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