The Supreme Court found four audio clips allegedly linking ex-CM N. Biren Singh to Manipur violence were tampered and unfit for voice comparison. The Bench directed that the NFSL report be shared with all parties before the next hearing on December 8.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India on Monday heard a petition seeking a court-monitored investigation into audio recordings that allegedly implicate former Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh in the ethnic violence that broke out in the state.
A Bench of Justice Sanjay Kumar and Justice Alok Aradhe took up the matter and examined the forensic report submitted in a sealed cover.
Justice Kumar read out the key findings of the report, stating that
“four audio exhibits showed signs of modification and tampering, concluding that the clips were altered and not original source recordings, and thus unfit for scientific voice comparison.”
Justice Kumar further observed that
“no opinion could be given on whether the speaker’s voice matched the control samples.”
Appearing for the petitioner, Advocate Prashant Bhushan referred to a separate report by Truth Labs, claiming that the earlier forensic findings were inconsistent.
He argued that
“a separate Truth Labs report indicated the 50 minute Y1 recording was completely unedited.”
He also highlighted that, according to the same report,
“the Truth Labs report found a 93% probability that the voice in question belongs to the same person.”
Responding to these arguments, Justice Kumar stated,
“We will provide you with the NFSL report so that you can file your response.”
As per the court’s order,
“the final case report dated 10.10.2025 from the National FSL, Gandhinagar, shall be supplied to all counsel by the Registrar. The matter will be listed again after two weeks.”
During the hearing, Prashant Bhushan maintained that
“Truth Labs is credible. It’s still a government lab, and the tapes haven’t been properly investigated even after 1.5 years.”
On the other hand, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta countered these claims, asserting that
“NFSL found the clips tampered; Manipur is peaceful now no need to interfere.”
Finally, the Bench directed,
“Report to be shared with both sides. List on December 8.”
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The case highlights ongoing concerns about the authenticity of the alleged audio recordings and whether a fresh, independent investigation is required to determine their credibility.
The next hearing is expected to shed more light on how the Supreme Court plans to handle the conflicting forensic findings from the National Forensic Science Laboratory (NFSL) and Truth Labs.
Case Title:
Kuki Organization for Human Rights Trust v. Union of India
W.P.(C) No. 702/2024
Read Order:
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