NEW DELHI, April 17: The Centre on Thursday informed the Supreme Court that a forensic report on the authenticity of leaked audio clips allegedly implicating former Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh in the ethnic violence in the state is ready and will be submitted shortly in a sealed cover.

A bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna took note of the Centre and Manipur state government’s submission and deferred the hearing on a plea filed by the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust (KOHUR) to the week commencing May 5.

The counsel for the Centre informed the court that the report, prepared by the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL), would be submitted by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who was unavailable at the moment and thus sought an adjournment.

N. Biren Singh had stepped down as Chief Minister on February 9, 2025, amidst internal dissent within the BJP and increasing calls for leadership change in the violence-hit state.

Earlier, the apex court had asked for a sealed-cover forensic report from CFSL regarding the authenticity of audio clips in which Singh was purportedly heard making controversial remarks about the ethnic violence that erupted in May 2023.

Advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing KOHUR, has demanded a court-monitored Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into Singh’s alleged involvement. Bhushan argued that Singh could be heard saying in the clips that Meitei groups were allowed to loot arms and ammunition belonging to the state government.

He added that he had submitted transcripts of the recordings and that a “truth lab” had confirmed with 93% certainty that the voice in the clips belonged to Singh. Bhushan maintained that such labs are more reliable than CFSL reports.

However, the solicitor general raised questions about the accuracy of the truth lab findings, further arguing that the petitioner had ideological biases. He referenced a report by a committee of three High Court judges which suggested attempts were being made to “keep the pot boiling.”

On November 8 last year, a bench led by former CJI D.Y. Chandrachud had directed KOHUR to produce material evidence supporting the authenticity of the leaked audio clips. Bhushan had then promised to submit the recordings in CD format.

The solicitor general also reiterated that the matter could be taken up in the High Court under Article 226 of the Constitution.

CJI Khanna, while noting that the state was “gradually limping back to normalcy,” said the matter would be kept on hold for the time being. He added that the court would later consider whether the case should be handled by the Supreme Court or the High Court.

Since May 2023, ethnic clashes between the Meitei community in the Imphal valley and the Kuki community from the hill regions have claimed over 260 lives and displaced thousands.