POLITICS

Supreme Court overturns NGT order, clears Art of Living of Yamuna floodplain liability

The Supreme Court has quashed the National Green Tribunal’s ruling that held the Art of Living Foundation liable for damage to the Yamuna floodplain from its 2016 World Culture Festival. The court ordered the ₹5 crore compensation to be refunded, while reaffirming the Delhi Development Authority’s duty to restore the floodplain.

By Open Vaartha Desk · 2026-08-23

What happened

The Supreme Court has quashed the National Green Tribunal’s ruling that held the Art of Living Foundation liable for damage to the Yamuna floodplain from its 2016 World Culture Festival. The court ordered the ₹5 crore compensation to be refunded, while reaffirming the Delhi Development Authority’s duty to restore the floodplain. Supreme Court cancels ₹5 crore compensation, clearing Art of Living of Yamuna floodplain liability, while DDA stays responsible for restoration.

TL;DR

Supreme Court cancels ₹5 crore compensation, clearing Art of Living of Yamuna floodplain liability, while DDA stays responsible for restoration.

Key points

• Supreme Court set aside NGT order holding Art of Living liable for Yamuna floodplain damage
• ₹5 crore compensation ordered by NGT to be refunded
• Court said evidence was insufficient to link 2016 World Culture Festival to ecological harm
• Delhi Development Authority remains tasked with floodplain rehabilitation
• Yamuna’s environmental crisis and government responsibility persist

<p>The apex court set aside the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) order that had held the Art of Living Foundation responsible for ecological damage to the Yamuna floodplain linked to the 2016 World Culture Festival. The Supreme Court ruled that the evidence presented did not directly establish a causal link between the festival and the alleged degradation of the floodplain, and therefore the foundation could not be held liable. Consequently, the ₹5 crore (approximately US$ 600,000) environmental compensation ordered by the NGT was directed to be refunded to the Art of Living Foundation.</p><p>The judgment did not absolve the floodplain itself from the need for restoration. The court clarified that the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) remains the statutory body tasked with rehabilitating and protecting the Yamuna floodplain. While the Art of Living Foundation is no longer required to pay the compensation, the broader environmental crisis affecting the Yamuna and the government’s responsibility to address it persist.</p><p>Legal analysts note that the decision underscores the evidentiary burden required to attribute environmental harm to specific events. The ruling also reaffirms the DDA’s mandate under existing environmental regulations to undertake floodplain restoration, irrespective of the outcome of the Art of Living case.</p><p>The case originated after the NGT, in 2022, ordered the foundation to pay ₹5 crore after finding that the massive gathering on the floodplain had caused soil erosion, loss of vegetation and disruption of the river’s natural flow. The Supreme Court’s reversal highlights the challenges of proving direct ecological impact in large‑scale public events.</p><p>Stakeholders, including environmental NGOs, have welcomed the court’s emphasis on concrete evidence but continue to call for urgent action to protect the Yamuna’s floodplain, which remains vulnerable to pollution, encroachment and climate‑related stresses.</p>