Indian Supreme Court orders special probe into Vantara animal facility

On 25 August 2025, India's Supreme Court appointed a special investigation team (SIT) to look into allegations of rule violations at Vantara, a large animal rescue and rehabilitation centre in Jamnagar, in the western state of Gujarat. The centre is run by the Reliance Foundation, the charitable arm of the Reliance group, and is closely associated with Anant Ambani.

The order followed public interest petitions that raised concerns about how animals were acquired and brought into the facility, including imports from abroad. The complaints also touched on compliance with wildlife protection law, rules on keeping captive animals, and the international trade framework known as CITES, the convention that regulates trade in endangered species.

The court named a team led by a former Supreme Court judge, J. Chelameswar, and including former senior judicial, police and customs officials. It was asked to examine the allegations and report back. The order mattered because it put one of India's best-known private wildlife facilities under formal judicial scrutiny, and it set the stage for later attention from international bodies over animal imports.