Supreme Court sets aside NGT order, refunds Rs 5 crore to Art of Living Foundation

Relief for Art of Living: SC sets aside NGT order holding Foundation guilty of damaging Yamuna flood plain

New Delhi, Aug 22

A Bench of Justice S.C. Sharma and Justice N.K. Singh disagreed with the NGT findings and accepted the appeal filed by Vyakti Vikas Kendra India (VVKI), the Indian organisation associated with the Art of Living Foundation, founded by spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

The matter was linked to the World Culture Festival organised by the Foundation from March 11 to 13, 2016, near the Yamuna banks after taking permission from the DDA.

The event involved construction of roads, ramps and other temporary structures which allegedly threatened the river's flow.

The complaint against the Foundation was filed in the NGT by a retired Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Manoj Mishra, who was also the convener of "Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan".

In December 2017, the NGT relied upon the findings of an expert panel to hold the Foundation responsible for damage to the river's flood plains.

The Green Tribunal had directed the DDA to confiscate the Rs 5 crore security deposited by the Foundation before the event and use it for the restoration of the flood plains which were allegedly damaged during the three-day cultural event.

Later, the VVKI, on behalf of the Art of Living Foundation, appealed against the NGT's decision before the Supreme Court, claiming that the event's site had never been demarcated as a flood plain.

The appellant contended that the alleged environmental damage attributed to the three-day cultural event could not be established in a scientific manner.

The Foundation said that the three-day event was organised after seeking due permission from the land owning agency, DDA.

The apex court accepted the plea and set aside the NGT judgment and ordered the refund of Rs 5 crore, held by the DDA as security, to the Foundation.

— IANS