New Delhi, August 22, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Supreme Court on Saturday set aside a National Green Tribunal (NGT) order holding the Art of Living Foundation responsible for damage to the Yamuna floodplain during its 2016 World Culture Festival and directed the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to return Rs 5 crore deposited by the organisation.
A Bench comprising Justice S.C. Sharma and Justice N.K. Singh allowed 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 case relates to the World Culture Festival held from March 11 to 13, 2016, near the Yamuna banks. The event was organised after the Foundation obtained permission from the DDA, with temporary infrastructure including roads, ramps and other structures erected at the venue.
A complaint had been filed before the NGT by retired Indian Forest Service officer Manoj Mishra, convener of the Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan, alleging environmental damage to the Yamuna floodplain.
In December 2017, the NGT relied on the findings of an expert committee and held the Foundation responsible for damage to the floodplain. It directed the DDA to forfeit the Rs 5 crore security deposited by the Foundation before the event and use the amount for restoration work.
VVKI subsequently challenged the tribunal’s decision before the Supreme Court. The organisation argued that the event site had never been officially demarcated as a floodplain and that the alleged environmental damage caused by the three-day event had not been scientifically established.
The Foundation also maintained that the festival had been conducted after obtaining the requisite permission from the DDA, the land-owning agency.
The Supreme Court accepted the appeal, disagreed with the NGT’s findings and set aside its judgment. It also directed the DDA to refund the Rs 5 crore security amount to the Foundation.
FOLLOW NOW
