Overview

• The bench of Justices Pankaj Mithal and Prasanna B. Varale recorded receipt of the SIT report with annexures and a pen drive and directed it to be taken on record.
• The four-member SIT, constituted on August 25 and led by former Supreme Court judge Jasti Chelameswar, includes Justice Raghavendra Chauhan, Hemant Nagrale and IRS officer Anish Gupta.
• The probe’s mandate spans animal acquisitions and transfers, Wildlife (Protection) Act and zoo rules, CITES and import–export compliance, husbandry and mortality data, location concerns, and alleged financial irregularities including money laundering.
• The team conducted an on-site inspection at the Jamnagar facility, issued detailed questionnaires and worked with multiple agencies, with reports noting involvement from 16 departments and authorities.
• The contents of the report remain confidential, and the court will consider further directions at the next hearing following PILs that followed the transfer of the temple elephant Mahadevi.