Now Reading: Supreme Court sets aside NGT order against Art of Living Foundation
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Supreme Court sets aside NGT order against Art of Living Foundation
The Supreme Court on Saturday set aside a 2017 order of the National Green Tribunal that had held Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Art of Living Foundation responsible for damage to the Yamuna…
The Supreme Court on Saturday set aside a 2017 order of the National Green Tribunal that had held Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Art of Living Foundation responsible for damage to the Yamuna floodplains during its World Culture Festival in 2016.
A bench of Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice N K Singh directed the Delhi Development Authority to refund the Rs 5 crore environmental compensation deposited by the foundation. The order came on an appeal by Vyakti Vikas Kendra India, which is associated with the Art of Living Foundation.
The top court also directed the DDA to continue rehabilitation work on the Yamuna floodplains as earlier ordered by the NGT.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The NGT had in 2017 ruled that the three-day festival caused irreversible ecological damage to the ecologically sensitive Yamuna floodplains, an area that serves as a natural flood buffer for Delhi. The Rs 5 crore compensation was meant to fund restoration of the riverbed and adjacent wetlands. The Supreme Court's reversal effectively removes the liability from the foundation but keeps the rehabilitation obligation on the DDA. The next question is how the DDA will fund the restoration work without the compensation amount, and whether any independent ecological audit of the floodplains will now be ordered.
The Supreme Court's reversal effectively removes the liability from the foundation but keeps the rehabilitation obligation on the DDA. The next question is how the DDA will fund the restoration work without the compensation amount, and whether any independent ecological audit of the floodplains will now be ordered.
Source: rediff.com
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
