
The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Central Forensic Science Laboratory to submit a report on the examination of leaked audio tapes, which allegedly implicate Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh for inciting ethnic violence in the state.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar ordered that the CFSL report be submitted in a sealed cover within 6 weeks. The next hearing was scheduled for the week beginning March 24, 2025.
The order came in response to a petition filed by the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust, which sought an independent investigation into the authenticity of the audio tapes.
These tapes were purportedly of telephone conversations implicating Singh in the ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki communities in Manipur.
During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Manipur government, argued that the petitioner carried an “ideological baggage” and exhibited a “separatist mindset.”
Mehta also mentioned that the Supreme Court’s panel of judges had expressed concerns about civil society organizations trying to “keep the pot boiling.”
The CJI clarified that the court had not examined the contents or authenticity of the audio tapes and had only ordered the CFSL report.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing the petitioner, countered by presenting a report from ‘Truth Labs,’ a private forensic lab, which certified that the voice in the tapes belonged to the Chief Minister with a 93% certainty. Bhushan argued that the ‘Truth Labs’ report carried more credibility than government agencies’ assessments.
The petition filed by the Kuki group organization calls for a court-monitored investigation into the tapes, claiming that they reveal conversations between the Chief Minister and others involved in the violence.
The Kuki group alleges that the tapes prove Singh’s complicity in the violence that has plagued the state since May 2023.
The violence erupted after a rally by the All Tribal Students Union of Manipur (ATSUM) on May 3, 2023, with clashes between the Meitei, a Hindu community, and the Kuki, a tribal Christian group. The situation has worsened over time, prompting the deployment of paramilitary forces by the central government to restore order.
The court is also reviewing multiple cases related to the ongoing violence.