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Sri Sri's group to pay Rs 5 crore in 3 weeks

NEW DELHI: The National Green Tribunal expressed severe disappointment with Art of Living guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's comments that he won't pay a Rs 5 croundore environmental fine, but nevertheless granted him more time to pay up.The NGT had fined the Art of Living Foundation for environmental violations on the Yamuna's floodplains where it is holding a three-day cultural extravaganza.The Foundation told the NGT on Friday that it was a charitable organisation and it was difficult for it to generate a large amount like Rs five crores in such a short period.Incidentally, Ravi Shankar's foundation has spent Rs 26 crores on the event.A day earlier, Ravi Shankar had said he would not pay the penalty and would prefer going to jail."When a person of that stature makes such statements, it hits the rule of law. If anybody hurts the image of the tribunal, he will be taken to rule of law.""If the rule of law is hurt, it will affect the justice dispensation system. This controversy loses its significance by the stand taken by the Foundation. We do not wish to go into the merits of the controversy," the bench said and fixed April 4 as the next date of hearing.The Tribunal made these statement then allowed the foundation to pay Rs 25 lakhs immediately and said if it fails to do that, it will take control of the grant of Rs 2.5 crores sanctioned to it by the central government.A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar also clarified that the amount of Rs five crores be treated as environmental compensation and not as a penalty.