Former CM N Biren Singh stepped down from his position on February 9, following internal disagreements within the BJP’s Manipur unit and rising public pressure for a leadership change.
NEW DELHI: The central government on Thursday informed the Supreme Court that it is ready with a forensic report that checks whether leaked audio clips, which allegedly involve former Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh in last year’s ethnic violence, are authentic. The report will be submitted soon in a sealed cover.
A bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna was hearing the matter. The lawyer representing the Centre and the Manipur state government told the court that the forensic report prepared by the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) would be submitted shortly by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta. However, he asked for more time as the Solicitor General was not available at the moment.
Taking note of this, the top court postponed the hearing of the case filed by the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust (KOHUR) to the week beginning May 5.
Former CM N Biren Singh stepped down from his position on February 9, following internal disagreements within the BJP’s Manipur unit and rising public pressure for a leadership change.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had asked for a forensic report in a sealed cover from CFSL to verify the authenticity of the leaked audio recordings that allegedly linked Mr Singh to the ethnic clashes which began in May 2023.
KOHUR, which is represented by senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, has demanded that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) should conduct a court-monitored probe into the alleged role of N Biren Singh.
CJI Sanjiv Khanna observed: “The state is gradually limping back to normalcy and we will keep it (the matter) on hold at the moment,” and said he would later decide whether the matter should be heard by the Supreme Court or the High Court.
The Solicitor General agreed with this observation.
Mr Bhushan called the content of the audio clips a “very serious matter”, claiming that Mr Singh was “purportedly heard saying Meitei groups were allowed to loot arms and ammunition of the state government.”
He added: “I have annexed transcripts of tape recordings.”
However, the Solicitor General questioned the reliability of the tapes and stated that the petitioner had “ideological inclinations”.
He also mentioned that a committee of three high court judges had reported attempts to “keep the pot boiling.”
In support of the petition, Mr Bhushan stated: “A Truth Labs report confirmed 93 per cent voice match of the [former] chief minister,” adding that “Truth Labs reports are far more reliable than the FSL reports.”
But the government’s legal team doubted the veracity of the Truth Labs report.
Back on November 8, 2023, a different Supreme Court bench led by former CJI D Y Chandrachud had asked KOHUR to provide solid proof to establish the authenticity of the leaked audio clips. Mr Bhushan had then promised to also submit the tape in CD format.
Solicitor General Mehta, however, argued that the petitioner could approach the High Court under Article 226 of the Constitution instead of the Supreme Court.
Since the ethnic clashes between Meitei and Kuki communities erupted in May 2023, over 260 people have lost their lives, and thousands have been displaced from their homes.
Mr Bhushan further claimed that the audio clips prima facie show the complicity and involvement of state officials in the attacks on the Kuki-Zo community.
He said the conversations in the recordings were “disturbing“, and Mr Singh could allegedly be heard “instigating violence and protecting attackers.“
KOHUR’s petition has alleged that the former CM was deeply involved in “inciting, organising and thereafter centrally orchestrating the large-scale murder, destruction and other forms of violence against the Kuki-dominated areas in Manipur.”
It added: “Petitioner is praying for a court-monitored investigation by a special investigation team into the leaked audio tape clips as there is clear and strong prima facie evidence showing involvement of the highest functionary, i.e., chief minister of a state. The investigation would need to unearth the conspiracy which appears to involve the highest functionary of state.”
