The case about the Yamuna floodplains’ destruction came up for hearing again before the National Green Tribunal (NGT), headed by Justice Swatanter Kumar on May 29. This is the case of the destruction of the ecologically sensitive area by the huge festival hosted there by the Art of Living (AoL) organisation of Sri Sri Ravishankar.

The counsel for AoL on May 29 presented a Supreme Court judgment regarding expert report being in consonance with the Evidence Act.

At this the NGT bench made it clear that environment jurisprudence is way different than criminal jurisprudence and here “things need not to be proved beyond reasonable doubt and here onus to prove is on you.”

The AoL counsel also said that as per the order of the tribunal the expert committee was supposed to find out about the restoration of the floodplains, but this expert committee had exceeded its jurisdiction and came up with rehabilitation of the flood plain.

The bench interrupted the counsel and stated that rehabilitation is a major concept and restoration does fall under its ambit.

The matter was adjourned for July 12.

—India Legal Bureau