Supreme Court Orders Forensic Analysis of Audio Tied to Manipur Violence

Supreme Court's Directive on Forensic Examination

New Delhi, Jan 8: On Wednesday, the Supreme Court mandated a forensic analysis of a 48-minute audio recording that allegedly implicates former Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh in the ethnic violence of 2023.

A bench led by Justices Sanjay Kumar and K Vinod Chandran instructed that the complete leaked audio be sent to the National Forensic Science University (NFSU) in Gandhinagar for examination.

“The full 48 minutes of the disputed conversation, along with the confirmed voice recordings of the former Chief Minister, must be included and forwarded to the NFSU,” the bench stated.

Additionally, the court requested that the NFSU expedite the analysis and provide a final report in a sealed envelope.

During the brief hearing, lawyer Prashant Bhushan, representing the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust, noted that the case had been listed approximately ten times.

He mentioned that the petition included a transcript of the entire 48-minute conversation and that the audio had been provided.

Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, representing the Manipur government, indicated that the state had only received the complete recording after the last hearing.

On December 15 of the previous year, the bench expressed concern over why the entire leaked audio clips had not been submitted for forensic analysis.

The Supreme Court had previously indicated it was “somewhat disturbed” by an affidavit from the petitioners dated November 20, 2025, which suggested that only selected clips were sent for examination.

The NFSU had previously stated that the leaked audio clips appeared to be “tampered with.”

Singh stepped down as Chief Minister of Manipur on February 9 of last year amid internal dissent within the state BJP and increasing calls for leadership change.

The Supreme Court was addressing a petition from the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust (KOHUR), which is advocating for an independent Special Investigation Team (SIT) inquiry into the situation.

On November 3, the Supreme Court acknowledged the NFSU's assertion that the leaked audio clips were “tampered with.”

The NFSU's findings indicated that the audio clips showed signs of editing and were not suitable for forensic voice comparison, as stated by the court.

Bhushan referenced a different forensic report that concluded one of the recordings was unaltered.

On May 5 of last year, the Supreme Court reviewed a forensic report regarding the authenticity of the leaked audio clips and instructed the state government to submit a new report on the investigation.

The court had earlier requested a sealed forensic report from the CFSL concerning the authenticity of the leaked audio clips.

Since the outbreak of ethnic violence in May 2023, over 260 individuals have lost their lives, and thousands have been displaced due to the conflict between the Meitei community in the Imphal valley and the Kuki community from the neighboring hills.