SC Seeks Forensic Report Over Audio Clips Against CM

The Supreme Court has requested a sealed forensic report from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) regarding leaked audio clips allegedly implicating Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh in the ethnic violence that erupted in the state last year.

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A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar has given six weeks to produce the report, following a plea by the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust (KOHUR). The organisation, represented by advocate Prashant Bhushan, is seeking a court-monitored Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the chief minister's alleged role in the ethnic conflicts.

The audio clips, which Bhushan claims are 93 per cent verified by a truth lab, purportedly reveal disturbing conversations suggesting the chief minister's involvement in the violence. Bhushan alleged that in the recordings, Biren Singh could be heard "instigating the violence and protecting the attackers while fuelling the violence" and allegedly allowing Meitei groups to loot arms and ammunition from the state government.