Supreme Court Questions Forensic Examination of Audio Clips in Manipur Violence Case

Supreme Court's Inquiry into Audio Evidence

Guwahati, Dec 16: On Monday, the Supreme Court raised concerns regarding the lack of comprehensive forensic analysis of leaked audio clips that allegedly implicate former Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh in the ethnic violence of 2023.

The court expressed its discomfort with an affidavit submitted by the petitioners on November 20, which indicated that only selected portions of the audio were forwarded for examination.

Judges questioned why the complete 48-minute audio clip was not sent to the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) in Gujarat for thorough investigation.

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

Singh stepped down from his position as Chief Minister on February 9, amidst internal dissent within the State BJP and increasing calls for leadership change.

During the hearing, Justices Sanjay Kumar and Alok Aradhe expressed their dissatisfaction, noting their concern over the affidavit's contents.

The respondents' counsel mentioned that they had not received the affidavit.

The bench remarked, “This affidavit, which you claim was not served to you, states that only selected clips were sent...”

Advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing the petitioners, suggested that the complete audio clips may not have been submitted to the NFSU.

When the respondents' counsel indicated they would address the affidavit, the bench questioned why the full material was not sent to the NFSU, stating, “Why should time be wasted again?”

The bench inquired about the total amount of material available, to which Bhushan responded that the complete audio tapes were approximately 56 minutes long, with 48 minutes submitted to the court. He noted that the remaining portion identifies the individual who recorded it, raising concerns for their safety if revealed.

The bench insisted, “Once the entire tape was available, it should have been sent to the NFSU. Why only this limited portion?”

Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati requested a week to respond to the affidavit.

The bench concluded that the 48-minute audio clips should have been sent to the NFSU and scheduled the next hearing for January 7, allowing time for Bhati to respond.

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

On November 3, the Supreme Court noted that the NFSU had stated the leaked audio clips were “tampered with.”