Vantara acknowledges SC order, says it will cooperate with SIT in fact-finding inquiry
New Delhi, Aug 26 (PTI) Reliance Foundation's zoological rescue and rehabilitation centre, Vantara, has said it will extend “full cooperation” to the apex court-appointed SIT set up to inquire into allegations of non-compliance of laws and acquisition of animals from India and abroad.
On Monday, a bench of Justices Pankaj Mithal and P B Varale constituted the four-member SIT headed by former apex court judge J Chelameswar to inquire into certain allegations against the Jamnagar-based Vantara.
The top court was hearing two PILs that made allegations of irregularities at Vantara on the basis of reports in the media and social media and diverse complaints from NGOs and wildlife organisations relating to alleged non-compliance of laws and acquisition of animals from India and abroad, particularly elephants.
“We acknowledge the order of the Hon’ble Supreme Court with utmost regard. Vantara remains committed to transparency, compassion and full compliance with the law,” Vantara said in a statement.
“Our mission and focus continues to be the rescue, rehabilitation and care of animals. We will extend full cooperation to the Special Investigation Team and continue our work sincerely, always placing the welfare of animals at the heart of all our efforts,” it said.
It also urged that the process be allowed to take place without “speculation and in the best interest of the animals we serve”.
The apex court, in its order, however, had clarified that the order neither expresses any opinion on the allegations made in the petitions nor can it be construed to have cast any doubt on the functioning of any of the statutory authorities or the private respondent - Vantara.
The court said the SIT shall examine and submit its report on the acquisition of animals from India and abroad, particularly elephants, compliance with the Wild Life (Protection) Act and rules for zoos made thereunder, the International Convention on Trade of Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES), the import-export laws and other statutory requirements concerning the import and export of live animals.
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Rupee settles 1 paisa higher to close at 94.15 against US dollar
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee settled with gains of just one paisa to close at 94.15 against the US dollar on Monday, as rising global uncertainty, escalating tensions in West Asia and soaring crude oil prices weighed on investor sentiments.
Forex traders said the INR/USD pair pared its initial losses, but the overall bias remains negative as FII sell-off and elevated crude oil prices restricted the gains for the local unit.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 94.25 against the US dollar, and touched an intraday high of 94.11 and a low of 94.28 against the greenback during the day.
At the end of Monday's trading session, the rupee was quoted at 94.15, registering a gain of just 1 paisa over its previous close.
On Friday, the rupee extended its losing streak for the fifth day in a row, depreciating 15 paise to close at 94.16 against the US dollar.
"The rupee snapped a five-session losing streak, rebounding in tandem with a rally across regional currencies. However, the mood remains apprehensive as the market braces for a potential RBI intervention around 94.30 and higher crude oil prices," said Dilip Parmar – Senior Research Analyst, HDFC Securities.
On the charts, the USDINR pair has reclaimed its upward momentum, carving out a classic bullish structure of higher highs and lows on the daily time frame, he said, adding that for the coming sessions, 93.80 serves as a support, with 94.40 acting as the primary hurdle.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was down 0.21 per cent at 98.32.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading higher by 2.36 per cent at USD 107.82 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, Sensex jumped 639.42 points to settle at 77,303.63, while the Nifty surged 194.75 points to 24,092.70.
Foreign Institutional Investors offloaded equities worth Rs 1,151.48 crore on Monday, according to exchange data.
Meanwhile, India's forex reserves jumped by USD 2.362 billion to USD 703.308 billion during the week ended April 17, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said on Friday.
In the previous reporting week, the forex kitty had increased by USD 3.825 billion to USD 700.946 billion.
