The Supreme Court on Saturday set aside a 2017 order of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which had ordered Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s Art of Living Foundation to shell out Rs 5 crore for the damage caused to the Yamuna floodplains during its World Culture Festival in 2016.A Bench of Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice N K Singh directed the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to refund the Rs 5 crore deposited on behalf of the Foundation towards environmental compensation.Allowing an appeal filed by Vyakti Vikas Kendra India, associated with the Art of Living Foundation against an order passed by NGT in December 2017, the Bench concluded there was no direct evidence to prove that the cultural festival caused damage to the River Yamuna’s fragile ecosystem.It directed the DDA to continue the work towards the rehabilitation of the Yamuna floodplains as directed by the NGT.The Art of Living Foundation had organised the World Culture Festival here from March 11 to March 13, 2016, in which around 35 lakh people from all over the world reportedly participated. The Foundation had undertaken construction on the Yamuna floodplain for organising the said festival.Alleging extensive damage caused to the Yamuna floodplains during the festival, Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan convener Manoj Misra, environmental activist Anand Arya and others had moved the NGT which held Art of Living Foundation responsible for the damage caused to the floodplain ecosystem and ordered it to pay Rs 5 crore.The NGT had also directed that the Yamuna floodplains in Delhi should not be used for any such activity.