Manipur audio row: Supreme Court directs Centre to share forensic report with NGO
The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Union government to share the latest report by the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) with the petitioner, Kuki Organisation for Human Rights, in a case seeking a probe into the alleged involvement of former Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh in the ethnic violence in the northeastern state. The petitioner has contended that leaked audio recordings, purportedly featuring Mr. Singh, point to his role in the violence. The court's direction came during a hearing on a petition demanding an independent inquiry into the matter. The Bench, headed by Justice Sanjay Kumar, issued the order after hearing arguments from both sides.
According to the NFSU report, the leaked audio clips alluding to Mr. Singh have been "clearly manipulated." Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for both the Centre and the State of Manipur, informed the Bench that even the first-generation copy of the audio clippings, made public by a whistleblower, showed signs of alteration. She submitted that the report exonerates Mr. Singh and urged the court to dismiss the petition. Bhati argued that the forensic analysis conducted by the NFSU, a government institution with expertise in cyber forensics, should be considered conclusive.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing the NGO-petitioner, strongly objected to the findings, saying that tests of the audio clippings conducted at Truth Labs, a private forensic facility, had shown a 93% match with Mr. Singh's voice. He agreed to keep the report confidential but said he would nevertheless counter its findings in court on the next date of hearing. Bhushan argued that the NFSU report had ignored the analysis from Truth Labs, which, according to him, had been based on the same audio samples.
The court had earlier asked the petitioner to hand over a "first generation copy" of the full audio tapes to the national forensics lab for examination. In a hearing on December 15 last year, it had questioned why the entire available leaked audio clips were not sent for forensic examination, expressing unease over the affidavit filed on behalf of the petitioners on November 20, 2025, which stated that "only select clippings were sent" for forensics. The petitioner has maintained that the full tapes would reveal the complete conversation, which the selective clips may have missed. The court's repeated insistence on examining the entire recording suggests that it considers the completeness of evidence to be crucial.
The petitioner has sought an independent Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the matter, arguing that the ongoing investigation may not be impartial. The case is set against the backdrop of ethnic violence that erupted between the Imphal valley-based Meitei and the neighbouring hills-based Kuki communities in May 2023, resulting in more than 260 deaths and displacement of thousands of people. The violence has been one of the most severe in the state in recent years, prompting multiple interventions by the Supreme Court to ensure relief and justice.
The Bench, while allowing the petitioner access to the report, kept the contents confidential for now and listed the matter for the next hearing on October 5. This will give the petitioner time to examine the NFSU findings and prepare a response. The court's decision to permit access, despite the confidentiality, underscores its commitment to ensuring that all parties have the opportunity to address the evidence.
