SC directs sharing of forensic report on audio clips allegedly linking ex-Manipur CM to violence

The Supreme Court on August 7 directed that the latest forensic report prepared by the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) be shared with the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust (KOHUR), which has sought an independent probe into audio clips allegedly linking former Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh to the 2023 ethnic violence in the state.

A bench of Justices Sanjay Kumar and Sanjeev Sachdeva ordered that the report be supplied to all parties in sealed cover and stressed that it "shall remain confidential" and must not enter the public domain.

Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati submitted the latest NFSU report in a sealed cover before the court. She informed the bench that the forensic experts had concluded that even the first-generation copy of the whistleblower's recording had been altered, making any reliable forensic verification impossible.

Appearing for KOHUR, advocate Prashant Bhushan referred to an earlier analysis conducted by private forensic laboratory Truth Labs, which, he said, had concluded with "over 93 per cent certainty" that the voice in the recording belonged to Singh.

The court directed that coloured copies of the NFSU report be provided to the parties in sealed cover while reiterating that the contents must not be disclosed publicly.

The case stems from a petition filed by KOHUR seeking an independent Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the alleged audio recordings. The organisation has claimed the clips indicate Singh's role in the ethnic violence that erupted in Manipur in 2023.

On April 30, the apex court ordered the NFSU in Gujarat to examine a complete audio recording, more than two hours long, after Bhushan submitted it before the bench. The university was directed to compare the voice in the recording with admitted voice samples of Singh.

Earlier, on January 7, the Supreme Court had ordered a forensic examination of a separate 48-minute audio recording after KOHUR alleged it pointed to Singh's involvement in the violence. During proceedings on December 15 last year, the bench had also questioned why all available leaked audio clips had not been sent for forensic analysis.

The NFSU had previously stated that the leaked audio clips were "tampered with", a finding that effectively gave Singh a clean chit at the time.

Singh resigned as the chief minister of Manipur on February 9 last year amid growing demands for a change in leadership within the state BJP.

KOHUR's petition alleges that Singh was instrumental in "inciting, organising and thereafter centrally orchestrating the large-scale murder, destruction and other forms of violence against the Kuki-dominated areas in Manipur".

More than 260 people have been killed and thousands displaced since ethnic violence broke out between the Meitei community in the Imphal Valley and the Kuki community in the hill districts in May 2023. The clashes began after a Tribal Solidarity March was organised to protest against a Manipur High Court order related to the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe status.