The Supreme Court of India ordered 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. The move seeks a clearer factual assessment.
The Supreme Court of India ordered a fresh forensic examination of an audio clip allegedly linking former Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh to the ethnic violence in the state in 2023.
A Bench of Justices Sanjay Kumar and K. Vinod Chandran passed the order while hearing a petition filed by the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust (KOHUR), which has sought an independent Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the violence.
The court directed that a pen drive containing the entire audio clip stated to be over two hours long be shared with all parties and forwarded to the National Forensic Sciences University for detailed analysis.
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The forensic body has been asked to determine whether the recording was edited, modified, or tampered with, and to compare the voice in the clip with admitted samples of the person concerned.
During the hearing, senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the petitioner, told the court that the complete audio recording of two hours and 36 minutes had been copied onto a pen drive from the original device.
The Bench observed that this pen drive, described as the first copy of the original recording, should be provided to the respondents before it is sent for forensic examination.
Earlier, on January 7, the apex court had ordered forensic analysis of a 48-minute clip and directed that all available recordings be examined and a report submitted in a sealed cover.
The court had also expressed concern about selective submission of audio portions, noting that it was disturbed by the omission.
The National Forensic Sciences University had previously indicated that some leaked clips showed signs of tampering and were not suitable for scientific voice comparison.
However, the petitioner cited a separate forensic opinion claiming that at least one recording appeared unedited.
The case concerns the ethnic violence that erupted in Manipur in May 2023 between the Meitei and Kuki communities, which has left more than 260 people dead and displaced thousands.
KOHUR has alleged N. Biren Singh’s involvement in the violence, allegations that are currently under judicial scrutiny.
Singh resigned as Chief Minister on February 9 last year.