The National Forensic Science University laboratory has informed the Supreme Court that the audio clips allegedly linking former Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh to the ethnic violence in the state were tampered with and are not scientifically fit to compare the voice, Live Law reported on Monday.

Therefore, it cannot provide an opinion on whether the voice in the clips is that of Singh, the laboratory told the court.

The bench of Justices Sanjay Kumar and Alok Aradhe was hearing a petition filed by the Kuki Organization for Human Rights Trust, which has demanded an independent investigation into the audio clips purportedly featuring Singh’s voice.

In the recordings believed to be from 2023, a voice purported to be that of Singh is heard taking credit for “how and why the conflict started” bragging that he had defied Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s order against the use of “bombs” in the conflict and shielding individuals who snatched thousands of weapons from the state police armouries from arrest.

At least 260 persons have been killed and more than 59,000 persons displaced since the ethnic clashes broke out between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo-Hmar communities in May 2023. There were periodic upticks in violence in 2024.

President’s Rule was imposed in February after Singh resigned as the chief minister.

The laboratory told the court that four exhibits had shown signs of modification and tampering.

“Therefore, they conclude that the clips are altered and do not constitute the original source recording and are not scientifically fit for forensic voice comparison,” Live Law quoted Justice Kumar as having read from the report.

He read: “Consequently, no opinion on similarity and dissimilarity of the speakers in question and the control clips can be offered.”

In August, the court directed that the audio clips be sent for a fresh forensic examination to the National Forensic Science University laboratory in Gandhinagar to verify their authenticity.

The court had said at the time that a fresh examination would help clarify two aspects: whether the audio clips were modified, edited or tampered with in any manner and whether the voice in the disputed clips matched the admitted audio sample with a clear finding on whether the same person is speaking in all the recordings.

The laboratory was asked to submit its report directly to the court in a sealed cover.

On Monday, the bench directed the report be provided to the parties in the case and listed the matter for hearing next on December 8.

The court said that the petitioner could file a response to the report, Live Law reported.

During the hearing on Monday, Advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing the petitioner, had said that a separate forensic report prepared by Truth Labs had found that the 50-minute recording was unedited and had indicated a 93% probability that the voice was matching in the control sample.

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