New Delhi, May 5: The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Centre to submit a fresh forensic report on a leaked audio clip allegedly featuring former Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh, after raising doubts over the credibility of an earlier sealed cover report submitted by the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL).
“What is this? You have to speak to your officers about it. Read the content and then talk to the officers… Please examine and bring a fresh report,” Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who was appearing for the Centre.
The directive came during a hearing on a petition filed by the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust, which sought a court-monitored Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into audio clips that allegedly implicate Singh in aggravating the ethnic clashes between the Meitei and Kuki communities in the state.
The bench, while deferring the matter to July 21 at the Solicitor General’s request for more time, made it clear that wrongdoing, if found, should not be shielded.
“Let us ignore the petitioner but if there is something wrong done, don’t have to protect that wrong,” the court observed.
The audio clips in question have stirred controversy over Singh’s alleged role in inciting the violence that erupted in May 2023, following a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ organized in the hill districts to protest a Manipur High Court order supporting the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status.
Since then, over 260 people have lost their lives, and thousands have been displaced in the ongoing conflict between the valley-based Meitei and the hill-based Kuki communities.
Singh, who stepped down as Chief Minister on February 9 amid internal dissent in the BJP and growing public pressure, has not publicly commented on the audio recordings.
While advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the petitioner, insisted on the formation of an SIT, Solicitor General Mehta questioned the legitimacy of the petitioner, calling it a “rookie organisation.”
Mehta further argued that a probe into the ethnic violence is already in progress and suggested that the Manipur High Court is competent to handle the matter.
“Peace is now prevailing, and the high court can examine the issue. Let the investigation go on, rather than escalating the situation any further,” he submitted.
