New Delhi: The National Green Tribunal on Thursday issued contempt notice to Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, founder of the Art of Living (AOL), on a plea against him for blaming the Centre and the green panel for damaging Yamuna floodplains.
In a statement published on the AOL’s website, Ravi Shankar had blamed the government and the NGT for permitting AOL to hold the cultural festival on the banks of Yamun ain March last year.
He said his foundation had obtained all necessary permissions, including from the green panel, and the event could have been stopped in the beginning itself if the river was so “fragile and pure”.
On Thursday, a bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar issued notice to Ravi Shankar while seeking his reply before May 9, the next date of hearing.
The plea filed by activist Manoj Misra has sought action against Ravi Shankar and said his remarks interfered with with free and fair dispensation of justice.
In the plea filed through advocates Ritwick Dutta and Rahul Choudhary, Misra said the AOL head was “in the habit” of making statements to “denigrate the dignity and status of this tribunal, which was an interference in the fair dispensation of justice”, that is the bedrock of the rule of law.
Earlier, the green panel had slammed AOL’s Ravi Shankar for his statement blaming the government and NGT for damage to the Yamuna floodplains, alling it as ‘shocking’ and that he has no sense of responsibility.
An expert committee had told the NGT that a whopping Rs 42.02 crore would be required to restore Yamuna floodplains, while also suggesting that there would be two components of rehabilitation plan – physical and biological, and they would cost Rs 28.73 crore and Rs l3.29 crore respectively, besides additional ancillary expenses.
Bureau Report
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