Supreme Court Orders Forensic Analysis of Audio Tied to Former Manipur CM
Supreme Court Directs Forensic Examination
A file image of former Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh
New Delhi, May 1: The Supreme Court has mandated a forensic examination of an audio recording that allegedly connects former Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh to the ethnic unrest in the region. This directive was issued on Thursday.
A bench comprising Justices Sanjay Kumar and K Vinod Chandran made this ruling following a presentation by advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing the petitioner, Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust, an NGO. Bhushan indicated that they were submitting a complete audio clip exceeding two hours in length.
The court instructed the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) in Gujarat to analyze the audio and compare it with verified voice samples of Singh.
During the proceedings, it was noted that the full audio clip, lasting two hours and 36 minutes, had been transferred to a pen drive from the original device. This pen drive, being the primary copy, is to be shared with the opposing party for submission to the NFSU for voice comparison.
Previously, on January 7, the Supreme Court had ordered a forensic review of a 48-minute audio segment, which the NGO claimed implicated Singh in the 2023 ethnic violence in Manipur. The court had directed that all available leaked audio be sent to the NFSU in Gandhinagar for examination.
The bench had emphasized that the entire 48 minutes of the disputed conversation, along with Singh's verified voice recordings, should be included in the materials forwarded to the NFSU.
Additionally, the court requested that the NFSU expedite the analysis and provide a final report in a sealed envelope.
The Supreme Court highlighted the need to assess whether the audio clips had been altered or tampered with and to confirm if the voices in the disputed clips matched those in the verified recordings.
On December 15 of the previous year, the bench expressed concern over why all available leaked audio clips had not been subjected to forensic analysis.
The court noted its unease regarding an affidavit submitted by the petitioners on November 20, 2025, which indicated that only selected clips had been forwarded for examination.
Earlier, the NFSU had suggested that the leaked audio clips were 'tampered with'.
Singh stepped down as Chief Minister of Manipur on February 9 last year amid internal party tensions and increasing calls for leadership change.
The Supreme Court is currently reviewing a petition from the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust, which is advocating for an independent Special Investigation Team (SIT) inquiry into the situation.
On November 3, 2025, the court acknowledged the NFSU's findings that the leaked audio clips showed signs of editing and were not suitable for forensic voice comparison.
Bhushan referenced a different forensic report that claimed one of the recordings was unedited.
On May 5 of last year, the Supreme Court examined a forensic report regarding the authenticity of the leaked audio clips and instructed the Manipur Government to submit a new report on the investigation.