New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed that the entire 48-minute leaked audio recording, which allegedly points to the role of former Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh in the 2023 ethnic violence, be subjected to a fresh forensic examination.
A bench comprising Justices Sanjay Kumar and K Vinod Chandran ordered that the complete audio, along with admitted voice samples of the former chief minister and other recordings submitted by the petitioner, be sent to the National Forensic Science University (NFSU), Gandhinagar.
The court asked the forensic body to expedite the examination and submit its report in a sealed cover.
“The entire 48 minutes of the conversation in question, along with the admitted voice recordings, shall be forwarded to the National Forensic Science University, Gandhinagar, for forensic examination,” the bench said in its order.
The court was hearing a petition filed by the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust (KOHUR), which has sought an independent SIT probe into the alleged role of the state machinery in the ethnic violence that erupted in Manipur in May 2023.
During the hearing, senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the petitioner, said the matter had come up multiple times and that the petition itself included the transcript of the full 48-minute conversation.
He submitted that the complete audio recording had already been supplied.
Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, representing the Manipur government, told the court that the state had received the full recording only after the previous hearing.
Earlier, on December 15 last year, the apex court had expressed concern over why only select portions of the leaked audio were initially sent for forensic analysis.
It had noted with unease an affidavit stating that only clipped segments were examined, following which the NFSU had reported that the audio appeared to be tampered with and was not suitable for voice comparison.
Bhushan, however, had referred to a separate forensic assessment claiming that at least one of the recordings showed no signs of editing.
The Supreme Court has previously sought sealed-cover forensic reports from central agencies, including the Central Forensic Science Laboratory, while directing the state government to submit fresh status reports on the investigation.
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Former chief minister N Biren Singh resigned from office on February 9 last year amid internal dissent within the ruling BJP and mounting pressure over the handling of the violence.
The Manipur ethnic clashes between the Imphal Valley-based Meitei community and the hill-based Kuki-Zo groups began in May 2023 after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was held to oppose a Manipur High Court order related to the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status.
The violence has since claimed over 260 lives and displaced thousands.
In its plea, KOHUR has alleged that the leaked conversation prima facie indicates the involvement of the state machinery in the violence and accused Singh of “inciting, organising and orchestrating” attacks in Kuki-dominated areas—claims that remain under judicial scrutiny.
