The Supreme Court on Saturday (August 22, 2026) set aside a December 2017 decision of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) holding Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s Art of Living Foundation responsible for the damage caused to the Yamuna floodplains during its World Culture Festival held in 2016. A bench of Justices Satish Chandra Sharma and N.K. Singh directed the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to refund ₹5 crore deposited by the foundation within four weeks.
The court’s order came on an appeal filed by Vyakti Vikas Kendra India, associated with the Art of Living Foundation. The top court criticized the DDA for granting permission to hold the event on an active floodplain, stating that it was not only avoidable, but was also not consistent with the precautionary principle and doctrine of public trust. The NGT had directed the foundation to deposit ₹5 crore with the DDA to be utilised for the restoration of the floodplains of the Yamuna.
However, the Supreme Court observed that the NGT had failed to note that the floodplain, which was the site of the event, was already in a damaged condition prior to its handing over to the foundation. The court also noted that the NGT did not specify whether the foundation had caused any additional damage to the floodplain and relied on a solitary satellite image without testing it with other contemporaneous evidence on record. The court stated that the NGT had burdened the appellant with the task of developing something that it never destroyed, effectively converting the proceeding into a case for fresh development of the Yamuna floodplain.
The Bench said the DDA should continue to carry out the rehabilitation work on the Yamuna floodplains as per the proposed plan and directions issued by the NGT from time to time, clarifying that the court had not altered the responsibilities entrusted to the DDA concerning the management or rehabilitation of the Yamuna floodplains.
