The ‘World Culture Festival’ (WCF) may have a go-ahead from the National Green Tribunal (NGT), with a fine of Rs 5 crore, but the controversies don’t seem to end there.
On 9 March, the NGT slapped the fine on Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s WCF, for the damage done to the venue, the ecologically-sensitive Yamuna floodplains. The amount though has been referred to as ‘initial penalty’ in the NGT order dated 9 March. The fine may be raised upon the evaluation of the damage post the event.
The order further stated that the ‘amount would be paid by the Foundation prior to the commencement of the event’. The ‘Foundation’ refers to ‘Vyakti Vikas Kendra – India’, the main organiser of WCF, and Art of Living’s (AOL) sister organisation. The Government of India’s Culture Ministry gave a grant of Rs. 2.25 crores to this organisation.
If Sri Sri Avoided Paying the Fine, Could the WCF Still Go Ahead?
Technically, no. That would’ve been a contempt of court and landed Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in jail. Though Sri Sri Ravi Shankar was quoted telling news channels that he would ‘prefer to be sent to jail instead of paying the fine’.
The AoL Foundation had then sought four weeks to comply with the NGT’s order. They claimed that they are a charitable organisation and it would be difficult to “generate Rs 5 crore in such a short period”. And even in doing so, the AOL wanted the fine to be called ‘restoration amount’ and not penalty.
Apparently, NGT has accepted their demand.
The NGT reacted strongly to Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s earlier refusal to pay the fine. “When a person of his stature makes such statements, it goes against the law,” the NGT said.
Eventually, AOL agreed to pay the ‘restoration amount’ in parts – paying 25 lakh rupees before the event, and the remaining 4.75 crore rupees in three weeks.
What Are the NGT’s Powers?
Well, the NGT has pretty big and biting teeth if it comes to that.
The National Green Tribunal is by far one of the most powerful quasi-judicial bodies in India, writes Alok Prasanna Kumar, Senior Resident Fellow at Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy. It has stopped the plying of tourist vehicles in Rohtang Pass, shut down unsafe water packaging units, restrained the police from using a firing range and taken ten year old diesel vehicles off the roads.
The fact remains that at the very core, its purpose is to not just hear appeals against the decisions of Governments on environmental matters – it is also empowered to take necessary action to prevent environmental damage from taking place.
Can AOL Challenge the Fine Later?
Legally speaking, yes. AOL can indeed seek Supreme Court’s intervention and get the fine reversed, and get the already paid amount refunded. The Quint spoke to a few lawyers, who believed it is a very hypothetical situation as of now. It could happen only if AOL approaches the Supreme Court AND the Supreme Court decides to rule in AoL’s favour.
Since a compromise seems to have been established between the NGT and AOL, any such an occurrence looks very unlikely.
This means Sri Sri Ravi Shankar goes ahead with a smooth World Culture Festival? Well, yes, that’s his art of living.
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