Report on authenticity of audio clips on Biren Singh's role in Manipur violence ready: Centre to SC

Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh

The Centre on Thursday informed the Supreme Court that a forensic report on the authenticity of leaked audio clips alleging the role of former Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh in the ethnic violence in the state was ready and would be filed shortly in a sealed cover.

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna took note of the submissions of a counsel appearing for the Centre and the state government to this effect and deferred the hearing on a plea filed by the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust (KOHUR) in the week commencing May 5.

The counsel said the report from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) will be filed by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and sought an adjournment, saying the law officer was unavailable at the moment.

Singh resigned as the chief minister of Manipur on February 9, amid rumblings within the state BJP and growing demands for a change of leadership.

Earlier, the top court sought a sealed-cover forensic report from the CFSL on the authenticity of the leaked audio clips alleging Singh's role in the ethnic violence that began in May 2023.

KOHUR, represented by advocate Prashant Bhushan, had sought a court-monitored SIT probe into Singh's alleged role.

"The state is gradually limping back to normalcy and we will keep it (the matter) on hold at the moment," the CJI had said, adding he would see later whether the top court or the high court should hear the case.

The solicitor general agreed with the observations.

Bhushan termed the contents of the audio leaks a "very serious matter" and said Singh was purportedly heard saying that Meitei groups were allowed to loot arms and ammunition of the state government.

"I have annexed transcripts of tape recordings," he added.

The solicitor general said the petitioner had "ideological inclinations" and there was a report by a committee of three high court judges which stated that there were efforts to keep the "pot boiling".

"A truth lab confirmed that 93 per cent it is the voice of the chief minister," said Bhushan, "and truth labs are far more reliable than the FSL reports."

The law officer, however, questioned the veracity of the truth lab report.

On November 8 last year, a bench headed by former CJI D Y Chandrachud directed KOHUR to produce material to indicate the authenticity of some of the leaked audio clips.

Bhushan had said he would also file a copy of the tape in a CD format.

Mehta, however, said the plea could be filed in the high court under Article 226 of the Constitution.

More than 260 people have been killed and thousands displaced since the ethnic violence broke out between the Imphal valley-based Meitei and neighbouring hills-based Kuki communities in May 2023.

The clashes began after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against an order of the Manipur High Court on the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe status.

Bhushan alleged that the recorded conversation prima facie showed the complicity and involvement of the state machinery in the violence against the Kuki Zo community.

He said the clips had "disturbing conversations" and Singh could be heard instigating the violence and protecting the attackers.

KOHUR's plea alleged that Singh was instrumental in "inciting, organising and thereafter centrally orchestrating the large-scale murder, destruction and other forms of violence against the Kuki-dominated areas in Manipur".

"Petitioner is praying for a court-monitored investigation by special investigation team into the leaked audio tape clips as there is clear and strong prima facie evidence showing involvement of the highest functionary, i.e., chief minister of a state. The investigation would need to unearth the conspiracy which appears to involve the highest functionary of state," it said.