National Green Tribunal pulls up Art of Living, imposes Rs 5,000 fine

Foundation may move top court after green body rejects its latest plea.

The National Green Tribunal on Tuesday rejecting the Art of Living Foundation’s plea to accept as bank guarantee, the remainder of environment compensation imposed on them for damaging the Yamuna floodplains during its three-day cultural festival in March.

The green watchdog also reprimanded the foundation for “filing application which lacks bonafide” while slapping another fine of Rs 5,000 for the same. The NGT also asked Art of Living Foundation, founded by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, to pay Rs 4.75 crore within one week.

Not agreeing with the observations of the tribunal, the Art of Living in a statement said it found the verdict “unjust” and “will go to the Supreme Court after reviewing the order if the need be.”

“The Art of Living has never said that we don’t have funds. We were ready and willing to give a bank guarantee which served the purpose, but our application has been wrongly dismissed. We will test the legality and see how we can correct the judgment,” the statement said.

Earlier, a bench headed by the NGT chairperson, Justice Swatanter Kumar, rapped the AoL Foundation for not depositing the amount despite assurance granted to the tribunal. The AoL was allowed by the green watchdog to go ahead with its three-day World Culture Festival from March 9 on condition that it will pay Rs 5 crore as environment compensation. On March 11, the AoL sought time for the payment after which the court allowed it to pay Rs 25 lakh immediately and deposit the remainder within four weeks.

The AoL, instead, recently submitted an application to accept the remaining amount as a bank guarantee. “The applicant submits that the present application is being filed for modification of the orders dated March 9 and March 11 to allow for submission for security by way of a bank guarantee in lieu of payment of the balance amount as directed.”

The Art of Living Foundation plea added: “The applicant is in the process of preparing proposal laying down process/methodology for collection of scientific data/evidence regarding assessment of actual environmental damage, if any, and hopes to persuade that the damage is neither permanent nor irreversible but, in fact, remediable and respectfully seeks an opportunity to demonstrate that the allegations levelled against it are completely without foundation and the reports submitted by expert committees which form the basis of previous orders were predominantly based on visual examination of the site rather than a detailed scientific assessment which, in any event, was not possible due to paucity of time.”

The foundation had also sought to submit a proposal for laying down methodology for collection of scientific data regarding assessment of actual environmental damage and requested the tribunal to grant 45 days for the same.