The Supreme Court dismissed a plea seeking a probe into wildlife imports by Reliance’s Vantara facility, citing earlier SIT findings. The Court held that all imports were legal and backed by valid permissions, with no violation of any law found.
The Supreme Court of India has dismissed a petition seeking an investigation into Vantara, an animal rescue and rehabilitation facility run by the Reliance Group, for wildlife imports. The Court made it clear that the matter had already been thoroughly examined and that no wrongdoing was found.
A Bench comprising Justices PK Mishra and NV Anjaria observed that the concerns raised in the petition were not new and had already been investigated by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) appointed by the Court. The Bench noted that the SIT had submitted its final report, which was accepted by the Supreme Court in September 2025. Importantly, the report clearly concluded that there was no violation of any domestic or international law in relation to the functioning of the Vantara facility.
Reiterating this finding, the Court stated,
“The final report of the SIT has been accepted by this Court…[and] categorically records that no violation of any domestic or international law was found,”
thereby rejecting any fresh doubts raised by the petitioner.
The Court further clarified an important legal position regarding wildlife imports. It held that once animals are imported after obtaining all necessary approvals and permissions, such imports cannot later be termed illegal simply because objections are raised at a later stage. Emphasizing this, the Bench said,
“We also note that once an import has been effected under valid permission, the same cannot subsequently be treated as prohibited…merely because the objections were raised thereafter.”
Apart from the legal aspect, the Court also raised serious concerns about the welfare of the animals involved. It pointed out that disturbing animals that have already been lawfully imported and rehabilitated could itself lead to cruelty. Highlighting this, the Court observed,
“Disturbing the settled environment, custody and air of living animals, including rescued animals after lawful import, may itself result in cruelty.”
The petitioner had also relied on a document issued by the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to support their allegations. However, the Supreme Court found that the document did not support the petitioner’s claims. In fact, the Court noted that the document clearly indicated compliance with international norms.
It recorded,
“On the contrary, the said document records that CITES Secretariat found no evidence that the animals had been imported without the requisite CITES documentation or import permits and there is no evidence that such imports were for commercial purposes.”
The Court therefore concluded that the petition lacked merit. It observed that all issues raised had already been properly examined and settled in earlier proceedings, leaving no scope for further directions or fresh investigation.
The petition had sought multiple directions, including disclosure of records related to import licences and permissions, formation of an independent monitoring committee, and action under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 against the concerned entities. However, the Court refused to entertain these requests, holding that the matter was already closed.
Accordingly, the Supreme Court dismissed the writ petition, bringing finality to the issue. Senior Advocate Santosh Paul and Advocate Ankur Yadav appeared on behalf of the petitioner.
Case Title:
Karanartham Viramah Foundation v. Union of India & Ors
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