07/08/2026
|| Former CM Biren Singh Audio Clips ‘Manipulated’, Says NFSU; SC Allows Kuki Group Access to Report
The Supreme Court on Friday directed that the latest forensic report of the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) be shared with the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights (KOHUR), which has sought an investigation into audio recordings allegedly implicating former Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh in the State’s ethnic violence.
A Bench of Justice Sanjay Kumar and Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva, however, directed that the report be kept confidential and not be placed in the public domain.
According to the second NFSU report, the audio recordings examined had been altered, making it impossible to authenticate them or reliably compare the voice with admitted voice samples of Biren Singh.
The report was produced before the Court in a sealed cover by Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati. She told the Bench that the NFSU had concluded that even the first-generation copy of the whistleblower’s recording had been altered, leaving no scope for reliable forensic verification.
In view of repeated unsuccessful attempts to authenticate the recordings, Bhati urged the Court to dismiss the writ petition, describing the clips as “clearly manipulated”.
Appearing for the petitioner, advocate Prashant Bhushan opposed the submission and alleged “complete mala fides”. He pointed out that a report prepared by Truth Labs had concluded, with more than 93 per cent certainty, that the voice in the recording belonged to Biren Singh.
Justice Kumar directed that coloured copies of the NFSU report be supplied to the parties in sealed covers, while making it clear that the report should not enter the public domain.
“Confidentiality of the report should be maintained to the extent of not making it public or placing it in public,” the Court ordered.
Bhushan informed the Court that he intended to share the NFSU report with Truth Labs for its opinion.
The latest development follows a series of forensic examinations ordered by the Supreme Court to establish the authenticity of the audio recordings. In February last year, the Court had sought the report of the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL), Guwahati, in a sealed cover. In May, after expressing dissatisfaction with the CFSL report, the Court directed that a fresh forensic examination be conducted.
In August, the Court directed the NFSU to resume the examination after the CFSL report failed to provide clear findings. Subsequently, in January this year, the Court directed the NFSU to examine the entire 48-minute clip and compare the voice with an admitted voice sample of Biren Singh.
The NFSU, however, indicated that it was unable to make a reliable comparison because the audio appeared to have been modified. The Court then asked Bhushan, appearing for KOHUR, to explore whether the whistleblower would be willing to submit the original, unmodified recording.
Bhushan had told the Court that doing so could expose the whistleblower’s identity, but said he would make efforts. The Court was subsequently informed that a recording running for more than two hours and 26 minutes had been submitted.
The Court also directed the State to furnish an admitted voice recording for comparison. On April 30, it ordered that the first-generation copy of the audio be sent for forensic examination.
