The Supreme Court on August 25, 2025, constituted a four-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the Vantara Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre in Jamnagar, Gujarat, run by the Reliance Foundation. Headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Jasti Chelameswar, the SIT includes Justice Raghvendra Chauhan, former Mumbai Police Commissioner Hemant Nagrale, and Customs officer Anish Gupta. The inquiry will examine compliance with the Wildlife Protection Act, international treaties, animal welfare, and issues such as wildlife trafficking and misuse of water and carbon credits. The SIT must submit its report by September 12, 2025. The order followed a Public Interest Litigation filed by advocate CR Jaya Sukin concerning the transfer of an elephant named Madhuri to Vantara, a move previously ordered by the Bombay High Court and upheld by the Supreme Court. The case has drawn protests in Kolhapur due to cultural and religious concerns. Vantara stated that the transfer was court-mandated and apologized if it caused distress to any community. Madhuri had lived for 32 years in a Jain monastery in Kolhapur, where keeping elephants is a centuries-old tradition. (Updated 26 Aug 2025, 00:17 IST; source: link)