As FSL Didn't Make Clear Finding On Biren Singh's Voice, Supreme Court Refers Manipur Tapes To National Forensic Laboratory

The Supreme Court on Monday (August 25) directed that the audio recordings allegedly implicating former Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh in the state's ethnic violence be sent for forensic examination to the National Forensic Science Laboratory (NFSL), Gandhinagar, after noting that the earlier report by the Guwahati Forensic Sciences laboratory did not return a clear finding on whether the voice matched with that of Singh's.

A Bench comprising Justice PV Sanjay Kumar and Justice Aravind Kumar was considering a petition filed by Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust  seeking an independent probe into the tapes. The bench observed that the Guwahati Forensic Science Laboratory had been asked to match the voices in the admitted and disputed audio exhibits but “no clear finding was returned.”

In view of this, the Court held that a fresh examination by the NFSL, Gandhinagar, was necessary to clarify two critical aspects:

1. Whether the audio clips in question were modified, edited, or tampered with in any manner.

2. Whether the voice in the disputed audio clips matches the voice in the admitted audio sample, with a clear finding on whether it is the same person speaking in all the clips.

The Court directed that the concerned authorities forward the audio clips, the admitted sample, and the questionnaire to the NFSL within one week. The laboratory has been asked to expedite the process and submit its report directly to the Supreme Court in a sealed cover within six weeks.

It was further directed that the expenses for the forensic examination be borne by the Union of India.

The matter has been listed for further hearing on November 3, 2025.

It was in February that the Supreme Court sought for the first time a report by the FSL on the tapes. In May, the Court expressed dissatisfaction with the report and sought a fresh analysis. On August 4, the Court criticised the delay in submitting the report, saying that the anaylsis cannot go on endlessly.

The petitioner's counsel, Advocate Prashant Bhushan, had earlier told the bench that Truth Labs, a private forensic laboratory, had certified the tapes to be authentic.

Case Details: KUKI ORGANIZATION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS TRUST Vs UNION OF INDIA|W.P.(C) No. 702/2024

Click here to read the order