The Union Government on Friday informed the Supreme Court that an audio recording purportedly implicating former Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh in the 2023 ethnic violence had been manipulated and could not be relied upon, citing the findings of a forensic examination conducted by the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU), Gandhinagar.
The submission was made before a Bench of Justices Sanjay Kumar and Sanjeev Sachdeva during the hearing of a writ petition filed by the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust, which has sought a court-monitored investigation into the alleged audio recordings.
Appearing for the Centre, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati referred to the NFSU’s forensic report and contended that the recordings bore multiple signs of alteration. She informed the Court that even an extended version of the audio recently produced by the petitioner contained numerous edits and variations, demonstrating that the material had been tampered with. On that basis, the Centre urged the Court to dismiss the writ petition with costs.
The petition is founded on an audio recording allegedly featuring Biren Singh admitting to having played a role in fuelling the ethnic conflict in Manipur and shielding those involved in looting arms during the violence. The petitioner had initially relied on a recording of approximately 48 minutes before subsequently placing a longer audio file running over two hours before the Court.
The Supreme Court had earlier directed the NFSU to examine the complete recording after expressing reservations that the shorter clip appeared to be truncated. The forensic laboratory was asked to determine whether the recording had been edited or manipulated and whether the voice in the audio matched admitted voice samples of the former Chief Minister.
During Friday’s hearing, counsel for the petitioner, Advocate Prashant Bhushan, relied on an earlier report prepared by Truth Labs, which had concluded that there was a high probability that the voice in the recording matched that of Biren Singh. He urged the Court to consider that report while evaluating the matter.
Taking note of the NFSU report, the Bench directed that copies of the six-page forensic report dated July 30, 2026 be supplied to both the petitioner and the Union Government to enable them to address its findings. The Court observed that neither side should be taken by surprise and that each would have an opportunity to respond to the contents of the report before any further adjudication.
The matter has been adjourned for further consideration. The Supreme Court is expected to examine the rival forensic assessments before deciding the course of the proceedings in the petition seeking an independent probe into the allegations arising from the purported audio recordings.
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