Supreme Court Finds Audio Linking Former Manipur CM to Ethnic Violence Was Tampered With

Over 260 people have lost their lives since the eruption of ethnic violence in Manipur.

New Delhi:

The Supreme Court on Monday noted that the National Forensic Science Laboratory (NFSL) in Gujarat has determined that leaked audio recordings allegedly implicating former Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh in the 2023 ethnic violence were "tampered with."

Justices Sanjay Kumar and Alok Aradhe, reviewing the NFSL report, stated that the audio clips showed evidence of editing and tampering, making them scientifically unsuitable for forensic voice comparison.

"Consequently, no opinion regarding the similarity or dissimilarity of the speakers in the question and the controlled clips can be offered," the bench observed while referring to the NFSL's findings.

The court was addressing a petition filed by the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust (KOHUR), which has requested an independent SIT investigation into the matter.

Advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing KOHUR, requested that the NFSL report be shared with all parties to allow them to formulate responses.

The bench instructed the court registry to provide copies of the report to counsel for all parties and scheduled the next hearing for December 8.

The justices further noted that according to the report, the audio clips do not constitute source recordings and are not scientifically appropriate for forensic voice analysis.

Bhushan referenced a separate forensic report which allegedly found that one of the recordings was unaltered.

"We have just shared the final conclusions in that report (of NFSL), which say that the disputed recording has been tampered with," the bench informed Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who also appeared for the proceedings.

"It is now quite peaceful there..." Mehta commented.

On August 19, the Supreme Court expressed dissatisfaction with the Central Forensic Science Laboratory's (CFSL) analysis of the audio recordings, describing it as "misdirected."

During the August 25 hearing, the court referred the matter to NFSL in Gandhi Nagar to examine whether the audio clips had been modified, edited, or tampered with in any way.

The NFSL was also instructed to determine if the voice in the disputed clips matched the voice in the admitted audio clip, to establish whether the same individual was speaking in all recordings.

On May 5, the court reviewed a forensic report on the authenticity of the leaked audio clips and requested that the state government file an updated investigation report.

Singh resigned as Manipur's Chief Minister on February 9, amid internal discord within the state BJP and growing demands for leadership change.

The Supreme Court had previously requested a sealed forensic report from the CFSL regarding the authenticity of leaked audio clips allegedly connecting Singh to the ethnic violence that began in May 2023.

On November 8 last year, the court directed KOHUR to produce evidence establishing the authenticity of some leaked audio recordings.

More than 260 people have been killed and thousands displaced since the ethnic conflict erupted between the Imphal valley-based Meitei community and the neighboring hills-based Kuki community in May 2023.

The violence began following a 'Tribal Solidarity March' organized in hill districts protesting a Manipur High Court order regarding the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

Bhushan alleged that the recorded conversation prima facie demonstrated the complicity and involvement of state machinery in violence against the Kuki Zo community.

KOHUR's petition claimed that Singh played an instrumental role in "inciting, organizing and thereafter centrally orchestrating the large-scale murder, destruction and other forms of violence against the Kuki-dominated areas in Manipur."