New Delhi, August 27: The Supreme Court on August 25, 2025, ordered that the contentious audio recordings—which allegedly implicate former Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh in the state’s ethnic violence be sent to the National Forensic Science Laboratory (NFSL) in Gandhinagar for a thorough forensic examination.
This directive follows the Guwahati Forensic Science Laboratory’s (FSL) ambiguous report, which failed to definitively confirm whether the voice in the tapes belonged to Singh.
A bench comprising Justice P.V. Sanjay Kumar and Justice Aravind Kumar emphasized the need for clarity on two critical aspects:
- Whether the audio had been manipulated, edited, or tampered with,
- Whether the voice in the disputed clips matches the admitted sample—with a clear finding on whether the same person is speaking.
The Court directed that the recordings, the admitted voice sample, and the accompanying questionnaire be forwarded to NFSL within one week. It further instructed that NFSL complete its analysis and submit the sealed report to the Supreme Court within six weeks. The Union Government has been mandated to bear all expenses related to this forensic process.
Meanwhile, the Court had already expressed dissatisfaction in earlier hearings with the Central FSL’s handling of the case, labeling the investigation “misdirected” and the responses as “wishy-washy,” particularly noting that only a voice comparison—rather than verifying video authenticity—was sought.
When the Guwahati FSL was previously asked to deliver a fresh forensic report in May 2025, the failure to do so prompted the Supreme Court in early August to admonish the delay, asserting, “This cannot go on endlessly.”
The case originated with a petition filed by the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust (KOHUR). The petitioner sought an independent investigation into the tapes. Advocate Prashant Bhushan, on behalf of KOHUR, presented findings from Truth Labs, a private forensic laboratory, which had reportedly matched the voice with a 93% probability.
The matter is scheduled to return to the Supreme Court for further proceedings on November 3, 2025.
