SC dismisses PIL against Reliance's zoo being built in Gujarat's Jamnagar

The Supreme Court has dismissed a PIL challenging the permission granted to a zoo being built by Reliance Industries in Gujarat's Jamnagar saying there was no logic or basis in the petition.

A bench of justices Dinesh Maheshwari and Krishna Murari junked the plea filed by an advocate seeking to ban acquisition of animals by Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre.

The top court said there is hardly any scope to dispute that the Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre is a recognised zoo as well as a rescue centre.

It said there was no legal infirmity in grant of recognition to the zoo and the rescue centre by the Central Zoo Authority.

"The allegations of the petitioner regarding lack of expertise on the part of respondent No 2 or regarding commercialisation remain uncertain and it does not appear that the petitioner has carried out the requisite research before moving this court in PIL jurisdiction.

"We are impelled to observe that the petitioner himself is not an expert in the field and has based the petition merely on news-reports which, too, do not appear to have been made by the expert. In any case, when the subject field is to be taken care of, and is under supervision of respondent No. 1 (Central Zoo Authority), and there appears no infirmity on its part, invoking of PIL jurisdiction cannot be countenanced," the bench said.

Petitioner Kanhaiya Kumar had also sought constitution of a SIT into the management of the Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre.