Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Art of Living had been fined for hosting the World Culture Festival on the banks of River Yamuna in March.
The National Green Tribunal today directed the Art of Living (AOL) foundation led by spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar to pay up a fine of Rs 4.75 crore for its massive festival held on the banks of the River Yamuna in Delhi.
The Art of Living had been allowed to go ahead with the three-day "World Culture Festival" on the banks of the River Yamuna in March on the condition that it would furnish Rs 5 crores against potential damage to the area's delicate ecosystem.
The organisers paid Rs. 25 lakhs at the time, and said the rest would be given later. Today the court ordered the foundation to deposit the remaining amount with Delhi Development Authority (DDA) through a wire transfer by tomorrow.
The green panel also directed the expert committee headed by Shashi Shekhar, Secretary of Ministry of Water Resources, to inspect the site, on Yamuna floodplains where the festival was organised, before June 10 and submit a "complete and comprehensive" report in a sealed cover by July 4.
It had earlier dismissed AOL's plea seeking its nod to accept the environment compensation, slapped for damaging Yamuna's biodiversity, as bank guarantee instead of "payment of balance amount" of Rs 4.75 crore.
The tribunal had slammed AOL for not depositing the fine imposed on it saying it was "wilful violation" of its undertakings.
It had held that a corporate entity cannot be used to promote irregularities and said it would even lift the "corporate veil" and find "real substance" of the matter while examining the case to ascertain the truth.