The Supreme Court has refused to reopen a probe against ‘Vantara’ (Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre) at Jamnagar, Gujarat, over alleged violation of the Wildlife Protection Act and other statutes in acquisition of animals from India and abroad.Earlier, the top court had closed a PIL against the Reliance Foundation-run organisation after a court-appointed SIT gave a clean chit to it.On May 27, a Bench of Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra and Justice NV Anjaria turned down a plea seeking recall of the top court’s March 9, 2026, order and a fresh CBI/ED probe into international wildlife transfers to the Jamnagar facility, Radha Krishna Temple Trust and associated Khodiyar Animal Welfare Trust over international animal transfers to Vantara.Referring to investigations and proceedings in Brazil, UAE, Uganda, Peru, Malaysia and Venezuela and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Secretariat, applicant Karanartham Viramah Foundation had urged the top court to order a fresh probe, seizure and repatriation of animals and a government takeover of the Jamnagar facility.However, noting that all animal transfers up to September 2025 had already been examined by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) whose report was accepted by it on September 15, 2025, and reaffirmed on March 9, 2026, the top court refused to order a fresh probe into animal imports.Headed by former Supreme Court Judge J Chelameswar, the SIT included former Chief Justice of Uttarakhand and Telangana High Court Justice Raghvendra Chauhan, former Mumbai Police Commissioner Hemant Nagrale and IRS officer Addl Commissioner Customs Anish Gupta as its members.“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,” it said.Citing “the bar of finality”, the Bench underlined that its constitutional jurisdiction did not exist to be the engine of perpetual re-agitation once a high-powered SIT has been constituted and its report brought to closure by judicial order.The top court pointed out that the “fresh material” consisted largely of newspaper and online articles and an allegation by inference was no allegation at all in the eyes of law.The Bench, however, directed the CITES Management Authority of India (CMA) to establish a direct line of communication with the CITES Secretariat in Geneva and, through that channel, draft a detailed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for issuing import permits for live specimens in consultation with and to the satisfaction of the Secretariat.The Standard Operating Procedure shall be placed before this court. Upon examination of the same, the court may consider passing directions, if required or if necessary. CMA India is requested to complete this process within a reasonable period and preferably within three months from the date of receipt of this order, excluding time taken in co-ordinating/corresponding with the CITES Secretariat in this regard, the Bench said.The top court had set up the SIT on August 25, 2025, while hearing two PILs, including one filed by advocate CR Jaya Sukin, who made widespread allegations against Vantara and statutory authorities and even courts.