The Supreme Court on Monday informed a Kuki rights group that a forensic report by the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU), Gandhinagar, found that audiotapes allegedly containing former Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh’s telephonic conversations inciting ethnic violence were “modified, edited and tampered.”
A Bench led by Justice Sanjay Kumar read out the NFSU’s confidential findings in court, saying the recordings were “processed and altered” and not “scientifically fit for voice comparison.”
The report was ordered to be shared with both the petitioner, the Kuki Organisation for Human Trust, and the State of Manipur, represented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the petitioner along with Cheryl D’souza, cited earlier tests by Truth Labs that found “no breaks” in the recording and a 93% voice match with the former Chief Minister. Justice Kumar, however, observed that NFSU was a premier forensic institution and its findings should be trusted.
Solicitor General Mehta informed the Bench that the situation in Manipur was now “quiet and peaceful.” The court granted the petitioner two weeks to respond to the NFSU report.
The Kuki group had sought a court-monitored probe by a Special Investigation Team into the leaked 48-minute audio, which allegedly revealed the complicity of state officials in orchestrating violence against the Kuki-Zo community during the 2023 ethnic clashes.
Attorney General R. Venkataramani and Solicitor General Mehta had earlier urged the court not to take up the case, arguing it could undermine the authority of the Manipur High Court.
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