‘No Logic Or Basis In The Plea’: SC Dismisses PIL Against Permission To Reliance Zoo In Gujarat's Jamnagar

In its order, the top court noted 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.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has rejected a plea that challenged the permission granted to a zoo being built by Reliance Industries in Gujarat's Jamnagar stating that there was no logic or basis in the petition. A bench comprising justices Dinesh Maheshwari and Krishna Murari dismissed the petition filed by an advocate looking to ban the acquisition of animals by Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre, reported news agency PTI.

In its order, the top court noted 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.

The order noted there was no legal infirmity in the 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,” the order said.

"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, as quoted by PTI.

In his plea, petitioner Kanhaiya Kumar also sought constitution of a SIT into the management of the Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre.