SC orders fresh forensic probe of audio clip allegedly linking Biren Singh to Manipur violence

The Supreme Court on April 30 directed a fresh forensic examination of an audio clip allegedly linking former Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singh to the 2023 ethnic violence in the state, asking the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU), Gujarat, to analyse the recording and compare voice samples.

A Bench of Justices Sanjay Kumar and K. Vinod Chandran issued the direction while hearing a petition filed by the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust (KOHUR), which has sought an independent SIT probe into the violence.

The court ordered that a pen drive containing the full audio clip, stated to be over two hours long, be shared with the respondents and forwarded to the NFSU for examination.

“Prashant Bhushan, counsel for the petitioner, states that the full audio clip of two hours and 36 minutes has been copied onto a pen drive from the original device. The said pen drive, being the first copy of the original, shall be furnished to the other side, to be forwarded to the NFSU for comparison with the admitted voice recordings of the individual concerned,” the Bench said.

The court asked the NFSU to determine whether the recording had been edited, modified or tampered with, and whether the voice matched admitted samples of Singh.

Earlier, on January 7, the apex court had directed a forensic examination of a 48-minute audio clip, with instructions to include all available recordings and submit a report in a sealed cover.

The Bench had also expressed concern that only select portions of the alleged recordings had initially been sent for examination, observing in December that it was “a little disturbed” by the omission.

The NFSU had previously indicated that the leaked clips showed signs of tampering and were not suitable for scientific voice comparison. However, counsel for the petitioner referred to a separate forensic analysis suggesting that at least one recording was unedited.

The case pertains to the ethnic violence that erupted in Manipur in May 2023 between the Meitei and Kuki communities, which has resulted in over 260 deaths and the displacement of thousands.

KOHUR has alleged that Singh played a role in the violence, claims that remain under judicial scrutiny. Singh had resigned as chief minister on February 9 last year.

The matter remains pending before the court.