NEW DELHI, Jan 7: The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Union government to forward the entire audio clip submitted by a Kuki rights organisation to the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU), Gujarat, for expedited forensic examination and submission of a report in a sealed cover.

The audio clip, submitted by the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust (KOHUR), allegedly points to the role played by former Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh in the ethnic violence that erupted in the State in 2023.

A Bench headed by Justice Sanjay Kumar questioned the Centre, represented by Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, on why the complete audio recording had not been sent for forensic analysis.

Responding to the court, Ms. Bhati said the government received the 48-minute recording only after the previous hearing in December and that the clip had not been forthcoming earlier despite repeated enquiries.

However, senior advocates Prashant Bhushan and Cheryl d’Souza, appearing for KOHUR, countered the submission, stating that the matter had been listed at least ten times previously and that the government was aware that the transcript of the entire 48-minute recording had been placed on record before the apex court along with the petition.

The Bench then directed the petitioner to forward the entire recording to the government and instructed the Centre to ensure that the clip is sent to the NFSU for expedited forensic examination, with the report to be submitted to the court in a sealed cover.

During the last hearing in December, the Bench had expressed visible “disturbance” over an affidavit filed by the petitioner in November, which stated that “only select clippings were sent” for forensic analysis. Based on those excerpts, the NFSU had reportedly given a clean chit, stating that the leaked audio clip was “tampered with”.

Mr. Bhushan had earlier argued that the full audio recordings submitted by the petitioners may not have been forwarded to the NFSU. He informed the court that the total duration of the audio tapes was approximately 56 minutes, of which 48 minutes had been filed before the court. He added that the remaining portion of the clip revealed the identity of the whistleblower and that sharing it could endanger the individual’s life.

KOHUR has sought the constitution of an independent Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the contents of the leaked audio clip.