Guwahati: The Supreme Court on December 15 questioned the manner in which leaked audio recordings linked to the 2023 Manipur ethnic violence were handled during forensic examination, expressing concern that investigators forwarded only selected portions despite having access to the complete material.
A Bench comprising Justices Sanjay Kumar and Alok Aradhe took note of an affidavit dated November 20 filed on behalf of the petitioners, which stated that only certain excerpts of the recordings were sent for forensic scrutiny. The judges said they felt disturbed by the disclosure and asked why the entire 48-minute audio clip placed before the court was not submitted to the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU), Gandhinagar, for examination.
The issue assumes importance as the NFSU had earlier concluded that the clips it analysed were tampered with, a finding that weakened allegations against former Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh. Singh stepped down from office on February 9 amid sustained political pressure and internal dissent within the BJP following the prolonged violence in the state.
During the hearing, the Bench pointed out that the affidavit—claimed by the respondents to have not been served on them—indicated selective submission of audio material. The court remarked that the affidavit suggested only limited clippings were examined, raising questions about the credibility of the forensic process.
Appearing for the petitioners, senior advocate Prashant Bhushan said it was possible that the full set of recordings submitted to the court had not been forwarded to the NFSU. When the respondents’ counsel sought time to respond, the Bench pressed the issue, questioning why the entire material had not been examined earlier and observing that unnecessary delay should be avoided.
The court also sought clarity on the total length of the recordings. Bhushan informed the Bench that the original audio ran for about 56 minutes, of which 48 minutes were submitted to the court. He explained that the remaining portion could reveal the identity of the person who recorded the audio, disclosure of which might endanger the individual’s life.
The Bench, however, maintained that once the recordings were available, the complete material should have been sent for forensic testing. It reiterated that the 48-minute clip at least should have undergone full examination rather than partial scrutiny.
Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati requested a week’s time to file a response to the affidavit. Accepting the request, the court took the affidavit on record and scheduled the matter for further hearing on January 7.
The case originates from a petition filed by the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust (KOHUR), which has sought the formation of an independent Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the leaked recordings. KOHUR claims the audio indicates involvement of Singh and the state machinery in violence against the Kuki-Zo community, allegations that Singh has consistently denied.
Earlier, on November 3, the Supreme Court recorded that the NFSU had found the clips it examined to be edited and unsuitable for forensic voice comparison. Bhushan, however, referred to another forensic report that claimed at least one recording was unaltered.
The court has repeatedly examined the forensic process. On August 19, it criticised the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) for conducting what it termed a misdirected exercise by focusing on voice matching rather than authenticity.
Subsequently, on August 25, the court referred the matter to the NFSU to assess whether the recordings were modified or tampered with and whether the voices matched the admitted samples.
The proceedings are linked to the broader backdrop of the Manipur violence, which erupted in May 2023 after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ opposing a Manipur High Court order related to the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status. The conflict claimed over 260 lives and displaced thousands amid clashes between the Meitei and Kuki communities.
KOHUR has accused Singh of playing a central role in orchestrating violence in Kuki-dominated areas, allegations the former chief minister has rejected.