Audio clip linking former Manipur CM Biren Singh to Manipur violence clearly manipulated: Centre to Supreme Court

The Central government on Friday told the Supreme Court that audio recordings allegedly linking former Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh to the Manipur ethnic violence were clearly manipulated [Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust v. Union of India].

The submission was made before a Bench of Justices Sanjay Kumar and Sanjeev Sachdeva by Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Aishwarya Bhati, after a report on the authenticity of the audio clip was placed on record by the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) at Gandhinagar, Gujarat. 

Appearing for the Centre, ASG Bhati submitted that the forensic lab's findings indicated that the recordings contained multiple alterations. 

“Today I want to urge your lordship that this writ petition be dismissed with costs. Lordship may see what they have done now. I spoke to CFSL doctor and I told them to send me a letter and they have sent me a letter. Even this (an extended audio clip given recently by the petitioner) had 41 alterations, I am told. I'm told that there are same variations… same van.. Same lady. This is clearly manipulated,” she said. 

She, therefore, urged the Court to dismiss the petition filed by the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust (petitioner), which alleged that Biren Singh had admitted in an audio recording that "he fuelled insurgency and protected those who looted the arms” during ethnic clashes in Manipur.

The petitioner initially relied on a clip of about 48 minutes to back up its claim.

In August 2025, the NFSU in Gujarat was assigned the task of verifying the clip's genuineness and finding out whether the voice heard on the clip was that of Biren Singh. The NFSU found this version to be a truncated part of a longer recording. It reported that the audio clip was an edited version, even if there was no deepfake or AI-based editing. It, therefore, expressed difficulties in giving a conclusive finding on whether the clip was authentic or whether the voice heard in the clip was that of Biren Singh.

The Court too joined in raising concerns about the 48-minute clip, observing it appeared to be a truncated or cut version of the original recording.

The petitioner later submitted that it was willing to place on record the complete audio recording, which is about 2 hours and 26 minutes long.

In response, the Court in April directed NFSU to examine the entire audio and compare the voice in it with the admitted voice samples of Singh.

The Court today observed that since the NFSU's report has now been submitted, neither side could be taken by surprise and both would have an opportunity to address its contents.

Appearing for the petitioner, advocate Prashant Bhushan relied on an earlier report by Truth Labs, submitting that it had found a "93 percent match" between the voices in the recordings.

“I'm in the face of a report given by premium forensic lab in the country whose founder was Justice Venkatachaliah. That Truth Lab gave an unequivocal report that there is a 93 Percent match in the voices,” he said.

The Court proceeded to order that a copy of NFSU’s six-page report on the audio clip be supplied both to the petitioner and the Centre’s counsel, before adjourning the case.  

"A copy of the six-page report dated July 30, 2026, prepared by Dr Surbhi Mathur, Associate Professor, School of Forensic Science, National Forensic Sciences University, Gandhinagar, shall be furnished to counsel for the petitioner and learned ASG Aishwarya Bhati," the Court ordered.

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