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SC seeks forensic report on alleged leaked audio of Manipur CM
The case revolves around audio recordings allegedly made by a whistleblower during a closed-door meeting with N Biren Singh.
The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) to submit a report on the leaked audio tapes allegedly featuring Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh, in which he is purportedly heard saying that the ethnic violence in the state was instigated at his insistence.
A bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna and justice Sanjay Kumar sought the report in a sealed cover, while also indicating that it would assess whether the Supreme Court or the Manipur high court should hear the matter.
“The state is limping back now. We have to also see if this court should hear this matter or the high court should,” CJI Khanna remarked.
At the start of the hearing, justice Kumar informed the parties that he had attended a dinner hosted by the Manipur CM when he was elevated to the Supreme Court (in February 2023).
However, advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the petitioner Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust, allayed the judge’s concerns. “No problem, not one bit,” Bhushan told the bench, affirming that justice Kumar need not recuse himself.
The case revolves around audio recordings allegedly made by a whistleblower during a closed-door meeting with the Manipur CM. The petitioner claims that these tapes substantiate allegations of deliberate instigation of ethnic violence in the state.
The petitioner organisation has sought a court-monitored SIT probe into the tapes, claiming that they reveal evidence of the CM’s involvement in fuelling the ethnic clashes between Meitei and Kuki communities that have gripped Manipur since May 3, 2023. The violence has claimed more than 230 lives and displaced tens of thousands in the northeastern state.
Bhushan informed the court that the recordings had already been analysed by Truth Labs, a private forensic science laboratory, which concluded that 93% of the voice sample matched that of CM Singh. He said that in the tapes, Singh could be heard saying that he allowed Meitei groups to loot the State armoury and that he ensured their protection from arrest.
However, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the central government, rejected this assessment, arguing that the Truth Labs report could not be relied upon.
“Truth Labs reports are far more reliable than CFSL reports. They have been repeatedly relied upon by various courts,” Bhushan countered.
In response, SG Mehta contended that the petitioner’s motives were questionable, suggesting that they sought to keep “the pot boiling”. He further informed the court that investigators had already approached the person who uploaded the clips on X (formerly Twitter), adding the audio clips have been sent to the CFSL. Mehta also reiterated his preliminary objection that the petitioner should first approach the high court.
To resolve the dispute, the Supreme Court ordered a CFSL analysis of the tapes, instructing that the findings be submitted within a month.
“I don’t know the veracity of the transcript also...When will the CFSL report come? Let it be examined. Let it not become another issue. File a report within one month,” ordered the bench, scheduling the next hearing for March 25.
