On May 27, the Supreme Court of India decided against reopening an investigation into the international transfer of animals to the Jamnagar-based facilities of Vantara, which is managed by the Reliance Group. This decision was made in the case of Karanartham Viramah Foundation v. Union of India & Ors. A bench comprising Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and NV Anjaria dismissed a petition seeking to revisit a previous order dated March 9, 2026, and initiate a new probe by agencies such as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) into wildlife transfers to the Greens Zoological Rescue Centre and related trusts.
The petitioner, Karanartham Viramah Foundation, cited investigations and proceedings from Brazil, UAE, Uganda, Peru, Malaysia, and Venezuela, alongside reports from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Secretariat, to advocate for renewed investigation. They also sought the seizure and repatriation of animals and the takeover of the Jamnagar facility by the Union government.
The Supreme Court emphasized that all animal transfers up to September 2025 had been thoroughly investigated by a Special Investigation Team (SIT), whose findings were accepted on September 15, 2025, and reaffirmed on March 9, 2026. The Court stated, “In view of the SIT Report accepted by this court, the Greens Zoological and Radha Krishna Temple Trust cannot be investigated, inquired into, much less prosecuted, in respect of the transfers therein examined. No direction can be issued to any domestic authority in respect of the specimens so transferred, and the matter cannot be reopened at the instance of any body, global or otherwise.” This statement reiterated the ‘bar of finality’ regarding the matter.
The justices clarified that the Court’s constitutional authority is not meant for continuous re-evaluation once a high-powered SIT has been formed and its report concluded by judicial order. Concerns were also expressed about the fact that much of the new evidence was derived from newspaper and online articles, noting that an allegation based merely on inference is insufficient in legal terms.
The Court provided forward-looking instructions to the CITES Management Authority of India (CMA India) to enhance the country’s compliance framework for importing listed species. CMA India was directed to establish direct communication with the CITES Secretariat in Geneva to draft a comprehensive Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for issuing import permits for live specimens, in consultation with the Secretariat. Once finalized, this SOP is to be submitted to the Supreme Court, which may further scrutinize and, if necessary, refine India’s CITES enforcement protocols in a future hearing. The matter remains pending for this purpose.
Senior advocate Santosh Paul and advocate Ankur Yadav represented the Karanartham Viramah Foundation, while advocates Shardul Singh, Manish Tiwari, Prerna Gandhi, Sayali Sawant, and Anish Shahpurkar appeared for Vantara.
