Guwahati: The Centre on Thursday informed the Supreme Court of India that the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) has completed its forensic analysis of leaked audio clips allegedly implicating former Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren in the state’s ethnic violence, and they will submit the report to the court in a sealed cover.
The development followed a hearing on a plea filed by the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust (KOHUR), represented by advocate Prashant Bhushan, seeking a court-monitored Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into Singh’s alleged involvement in the violence.
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A bench headed by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna deferred the hearing to the week commencing May 5th, following arguments from government lawyers.
According to the sources, Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta will file the CFCL report.
Notably, the leaked audio clips purportedly contain conversations where Singh discusses the ethnic clashes that erupted in Manipur in May 2023. The violence, stemming from disputes over the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status, has resulted in over 260 deaths and the displacement of thousands.
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Following the incident, Advocate Prashant Bhushan presented the audio clips to the top court, describing them as “disturbing conversations” suggesting Singh’s active role in instigating and protecting those involved in the violence.
He further cited a “truth lab” analysis, claiming a 93% certainty that the voice in the recordings belonged to Singh, and argued that this analysis was more reliable than traditional forensic reports.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta contested the validity of the “truth lab” findings, questioning their reliability.
Later, the Supreme Court, under a previous directive by former CJI D.Y. Chandrachud, had directed KOHUR to substantiate the authenticity of the audio clips.
In response, Bhushan committed to filing a copy of the tapes in CD format, further intensifying the legal scrutiny of the case.