Supreme Court Orders Forensic Audit of Alleged Manipur Violence Audio Linked to N Biren Singh

May 1, 2026 : The Supreme Court of India has directed National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU), Gujarat, to conduct a detailed forensic examination of an audio recording allegedly linking former N Biren Singh to the 2023 ethnic violence in Manipur.

A Bench comprising Justices Sanjay Kumar and K. Vinod Chandran issued the direction while hearing a petition filed by the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust, which has sought an independent probe, preferably by an SIT, into the violence between Meitei and Kuki communities and the alleged involvement of state machinery. Senior Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the petitioner, submitted that a complete audio recording exceeding two hours had been placed on record.

The Court ordered that the first-generation copy of the recording, stored on a pen drive, be supplied to the respondents and forwarded to NFSU for forensic voice comparison. It tasked the forensic body with examining whether the recording has been edited, tampered with, or altered, and with comparing the disputed voice with authenticated samples to be provided by the State.

Noting that earlier forensic reports were inconclusive due to technical limitations and indications of tampering, the Bench emphasised the necessity of analysing the original or earliest available copy. It highlighted the importance of preserving evidentiary integrity through proper assessment of hash values and metadata.

The Court also addressed concerns regarding chain of custody, observing that repeated copying of digital files may degrade quality and affect forensic outcomes. It directed NFSU to complete the analysis within six weeks and submit its report, clarifying that the present exercise is confined to verification of the audio evidence and does not adjudicate the underlying allegations.