The National Forensic Science Laboratory (NFSL) has informed the Supreme Court that the audio recordings allegedly implicating former Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh in the 2023 ethnic violence were found to be tampered with and scientifically unfit for voice comparison.
The revelation came during the hearing of a plea filed by the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust, which has sought a court-monitored probe into the purported audio clips linked to the ethnic clashes in the state.
A Bench comprising Justice Sanjay Kumar and Justice Alok Aradhe heard the matter on Monday and examined the NFSL report submitted in a sealed cover.
Reading from the forensic findings, Justice Kumar said the laboratory examined four audio exhibits and detected signs of “modification and tampering,” concluding that the clips were not original recordings.
“Therefore, no opinion on similarity or dissimilarity of the speakers can be offered,” the Bench noted.
The court directed that the NFSL’s final report be made available to both parties and listed the matter for further hearing on December 8.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the petitioner, referred to an earlier independent forensic assessment by Truth Labs, which claimed that one of the clips — a 50-minute recording — was unedited and showed a 93% probability of matching the control sample attributed to Singh.
Justice Kumar said the petitioner would be given access to the NFSL report to file an appropriate response.
The court also recorded exchanges between Bhushan and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Union government.
Mehta argued that the NFSL report confirmed tampering, reiterating that “the disputed recording has been altered.”
He further urged the court not to interfere, noting that “the situation in Manipur is now peaceful.”
Counsel for the state added that parts of the audio clip were inaudible, to which Bhushan responded that forensic experts possess tools to clarify recordings.
In August 2025, the Supreme Court had asked the NFSL to conduct an independent examination after expressing dissatisfaction with a prior report from the Guwahati Forensic Science Laboratory, which had not conclusively verified whether the voice in question belonged to the Chief Minister.
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The NFSL was tasked with determining both the authenticity of the clips and whether they matched the control samples.
Earlier, in February 2025, the Court had also sought an assessment from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL), but no conclusive outcome was presented.
The petitioners have maintained that the government delayed investigation despite the alleged recordings containing “damaging conversations.”
Concluding the hearing, the Bench ordered that certified copies of the NFSL’s final report, dated October 10, 2025, be furnished to both sides ahead of the next hearing in December.
