The Supreme Court has directed that the complete 48-minute audio recording purportedly linking former Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh to events surrounding the 2023 ethnic violence, together with his admitted voice samples, be transmitted to the National Forensic Science University (NFSU), Gandhinagar, for comprehensive forensic scrutiny.
The Bench of Justice Sanjay Kumar and Justice K Vinod Chandran ordered that all available voice recordings, including those supplied by the petitioner, be forwarded in their entirety to the NFSU. The forensic institution was asked to conduct an expedited examination and place its report before the Court in a sealed cover, in keeping with established judicial practice in matters involving sensitive evidence and ongoing investigations.
The order was passed on a writ petition seeking a court-monitored investigation into the authenticity and evidentiary value of the disputed audio material. Emphasising the need for scientific certainty, the Court
The proceedings arise against the backdrop of an earlier communication from the NFSU in November 2025, wherein the laboratory had informed the Court that the audio clips earlier sent to it exhibited indications of tampering and were therefore unsuitable for reliable voice spectrographic analysis.
On that basis, the laboratory had expressed its inability to render any definitive opinion regarding similarity or dissimilarity between the questioned voice and the admitted samples. The petitioner has challenged that conclusion, contending that the Manipur Police had selectively forwarded truncated and edited excerpts rather than the full recording, thereby vitiating the forensic exercise.
Appearing for the petitioner, the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust, Advocate Prashant Bhushan submitted that the matter had been listed on multiple occasions and that the State had been represented throughout. He asserted that the writ petition itself annexed the transcript of the complete 48-minute conversation and that the audio file had been made available, placing the authorities on notice of the existence of the full recording. According to the petitioner, any forensic opinion based on partial material would be inherently flawed and contrary to the principles governing the appreciation of electronic evidence under Section 65B of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872.
Appearing for the State of Manipur, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Aishwarya Bhati disputed this position and maintained that the complete recording had been received only after the previous hearing, noting that it had not been formally served earlier. In response, the petitioner argued that the State could have sought the material during the course of repeated hearings and that the absence of a formal notice could not justify reliance on incomplete evidence.
Taking note of the rival submissions, the Bench considered it appropriate to ensure procedural fairness and evidentiary completeness by directing that the entire recording, along with admitted voice samples, be subjected to a fresh forensic examination. The Apex Court retained seisin over the issue pending receipt and consideration of the sealed forensic report.
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