Yamuna row: Sri Sri charge is shocking, says NGT

The National Green Tribunal, on Thursday, said that charges of a bias report on damage to the Yamuna riverbed levelled by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on them is “shocking”.

Slamming the Art of Living over its founder blaming the governments and the green panel for damage to the Yamuna floodplains, the NGT said, “You have no sense of responsibility. Who gave you liberty to speak whatever you want to. It is shocking.”

The observations by a bench, headed by NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar, came after advocate Sanjay Parikh, appearing for petitioner Manoj Misra, informed the bench about Ravi Shankar’s recent statement blaming the government and the NGT for permitting his NGO to hold the World Culture Festival on the floodplains of river Yamuna.

The spiritual figure had said that the NGT should have never given him permission to hold the “World Cultural Festival” on the Yamuna riverbed if the river was “so fragile and pure”.

In a statement, issued on Tuesday, Ravi Shankar said the Art of Living (AoL) obtained all the necessary permissions, including NGT’s.

The NGT bench asked the petitioner Manoj Mishra to file an application with details of statement so that the court can take the issue on record.

The next date of hearing has been scheduled for May 9.