The Supreme Court on Monday took note of a forensic report stating that certain audio recordings allegedly linking former Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh to the 2023 ethnic violence had been tampered with. The matter, argued in a noticeably tense courtroom, revolves around whether the voice heard in a circulating 50-minute clip can indeed be attributed to the former Chief Minister.
Background
The petition was filed by the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust, which sought a court-monitored probe into the recordings. The clips had emerged during the peak of the ethnic unrest in Manipur last year, when communities stood divided and accusations were flying thick.
Earlier forensic reports did not offer a definite answer, prompting the Supreme Court in August 2025 to ask the National Forensic Science Laboratory (NFSL) in Gandhinagar to carry out a fresh examination. Meanwhile, petitioner’s counsel Prashant Bhushan had relied on a private forensic agency, Truth Labs, which claimed a 93% probability match of the disputed voice with Singh’s.
Court’s Observations
On Monday, the Bench of Justice Sanjay Kumar and Justice Alok Aradhe opened the sealed NFSL report. Justice Kumar read aloud parts of the findings, stating, “Four exhibits showed signs of modification and tampering… they do not constitute the original source recording and are not scientifically fit for forensic voice comparison.”
In simpler words, the Court noted that the recordings had been altered, making any voice-matching exercise unreliable.
The bench added, “Consequently, no opinion on similarity and dissimilarity of the speakers can be offered.”
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Bhushan argued that the Truth Labs report showed the main 50-minute clip was unedited and credible. He suggested that NFSL, being a government laboratory, could be influenced. Justice Kumar responded somewhat cautiously, “We don’t know. NFSL is supposed to be the premier forensic lab.”
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Union Government, leaned on the NFSL findings, stating that the report itself confirms tampering. He also said the situation in Manipur had improved significantly: “Let’s not disturb the peace that has been brought back,” he remarked.
At one point, counsel for the Manipur Government said he could not understand much of the recording. Bhushan quickly replied that the forensic labs have better tools to clean and analyze audio than a casual listener.
Decision
After a brief exchange, the Court directed the Registrar to supply the complete NFSL final report dated October 10, 2025, to all parties. The matter has been listed for further hearing on December 8. The Court did not pass any ruling on the authenticity of the voice at this stage; it simply allowed both sides to respond to the forensic conclusions before deciding the next step.
(Order ends here.)
Case: Kuki Organization for Human Rights Trust vs. Union of India (Manipur Audio Tape Tampering Case)
Court: Supreme Court of India
Bench: Justice Sanjay Kumar and Justice Alok Aradhe
Case Number: W.P.(C) No. 702/2024
Petitioner: Kuki Organization for Human Rights Trust
Respondents: Union of India and the State of Manipur
