Three of the 4 panel members (L-R) Justice Jasti Chelameswar, Justice Raghavendra Chauhan and Hemant NagraleA day after the Supreme Court formed an SIT headed by a former top court judge, Justice Jasti Chelameswar, to inquire into the affairs of Vantara, the wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centre of Reliance Foundation in Gujarat’s Jamnagar, the panel is learnt to have held its first meeting virtually on Tuesday. The first meeting is learnt to have focused on the responsibilities of the SIT and the delegation of roles among its members.The top court has directed the SIT to examine and submit a report by September 12 on a number of issues, including the acquisition of animals from India and abroad, particularly elephants and compliance with the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, and rules for zoos. It also has been asked to examine compliance with import/export laws and other statutory requirements concerning imports/exports of live animals; compliance with standards of animal husbandry, veterinary care, standards of animal welfare, mortalities and causes thereof; and complaints regarding climatic conditions and allegations concerning location near an industrial zone.The SIT, headed by Justice Chelameswar, has three other members — former Chief Justice of Uttarakhand and Telangana High Court Justice Raghavendra Chauhan, former Mumbai Police Commissioner Hemant Nagrale and Additional Commissioner Customs Anish Gupta. Here’s a look at the panel’s members:Justice Jasti ChelameswarJustice Chelameswar retired from the SC in 2018. His nearly seven-year tenure saw him champion institutional transparency. In 2015, he was the lone dissenter in the landmark case that struck down the National Judicial Appointments Commission, criticising the opacity of the Collegium process. He was one of the four judges in the January 2018 press conference alleging that then CJI Dipak Misra arbitrarily used his power as master of roster to allocate cases to judges.Justice Raghavendra ChauhanJustice RS Chauhan was former Chief Justice of the Telangana and Uttarakhand High Courts and retired in December 2021. During his time in Uttarakhand HC, he presided over several major environmental issues in the hill state. In 2021, as CJ, he took suo motu cognisance of a report that highlighted illegal construction in the Corbett Tiger Reserve. The intervention eventually led to a CBI probe and ban on further construction. Justice Chauhan in January 2021 also headed the bench that stayed the State Wildlife Board’s decision to denotify Shivalik Elephant Reserve.Hemant NagraleNagpur-based Nagrale, a 1987-batch officer, has served as Police Commissioner in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, and as the DGP of Maharashtra. He was made the Mumbai Police Commissioner in March 2021 after Param Bir Singh was shunted out in the aftermath of the Antilia bomb scare. Nagrale supervised and investigated the Harshad Mehta scam and the Ketan Parekh scam during his CBI stint. He also assisted the SIT that probed the Telgi stamp paper scam. Recently, an additional sessions court while convicting three persons in the murder of policewoman Ashwini Bidre, observed that when her family went to the office of the then Navi Mumbai Commissioner (Nagrale), he had “not cooperated and rather discouraged them”.Anish GuptaGupta, a 2009-batch Indian Revenue Service officer, is currently posted as Additional Commissioner, Customs in Patna Customs zone. As Assistant Commissioner at Mumbai’s Nhava Sheva, Gupta was suspended on charges of graft in August 2013. He was alleged to have deliberately delayed the clearance of import consignments of colour paper from the US and for demanding and negotiating bribe money. After a series of legal proceedings, Gupta’s suspension was revoked in February 2015. In February 2019, the Delhi HC passed a judgment in Gupta’s favour, directing release of full pay and allowances for his suspension period. He also served as Additional Commissioner at Visakhapatnam (2015-2017) and then as OSD in the legal cell of Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs at the Ministry of Finance (2017-2023). During this stint at the Ministry, in September 2022, Gupta was selected to be a part of a delegation that went to Namibia to bring African cheetahs to India.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd