Supreme Court says forensic report confirms tampering in Biren Singh audio clips

The Supreme Court on November 3 observed that the leaked audio clips purportedly linked to former Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh during the 2023 ethnic violence in the state were “tampered with,” citing findings from the National Forensic Science Laboratory (NFSL), Gujarat.

A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Alok Aradhe stated that the NFSL report confirmed the audio clips had been edited and were not scientifically fit for forensic voice comparison. “The audio clips exhibited signs of editing and tampering, and consequently, no opinion regarding the similarity or dissimilarity of the speakers can be offered,” the bench noted.

The court was hearing a petition filed by the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust (KOHUR), which had sought an independent SIT probe into the matter. The bench directed that a copy of the NFSL report be shared with the concerned parties, with the next hearing scheduled for December 8.

Advocate Parashant Bhushan, appearing for KOHUR, urged that the report be made available for the parties to respond to it. The bench also observed that the audio clips, as per the NFSL analysis, were “not original source recordings” and hence could not be scientifically relied upon for forensic voice comparison.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, informed the court that the final NFSL report confirmed tampering. “We have just shared the final conclusions in that report, which say that the disputed recordings have been tampered with. It is now quite peaceful there,” Mehta told the bench.

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Earlier, on August 19, the apex court had expressed displeasure over the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL)’s earlier test of the audio recordings, calling it “misdirected.” Subsequently, on August 25, the top court referred the matter to the NFSL, Gandhinagar, to verify whether the clips were modified, edited, or tampered with in any way.

The court also asked NFSL to determine whether the voice in the disputed audio clips matched the voice in the admitted sample clip to clarify if the same person was speaking in all recordings.

On May 5, the Supreme Court had ordered a forensic examination of the audio clips and asked the Manipur government to submit a fresh report on their authenticity.

The controversy erupted when audio clips allegedly featuring former Chief Minister N. Biren Singh’s voice surfaced online amid the ethnic clashes between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities that began in May 2023. Singh resigned from office on February 9, 2024, amid growing unrest within the state BJP and calls for leadership change.

Over 260 people were killed, and thousands displaced during the year-long ethnic conflict, which began after a “Tribal Solidarity March” was organised in Churachandpur district to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status.

KOHUR had sought an SIT investigation, alleging manipulation of the leaked audio clips and claiming the recordings implicated individuals involved in inciting violence. The Supreme Court’s latest findings, based on the NFSL report, have now cast serious doubt on the authenticity of the alleged audio evidence.