The National Forensic Science Laboratory (NFSL) in Gandhinagar has told the Supreme Court of India that the audio recordings submitted as alleged evidence against former Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh were tampered with and are therefore unsuitable for reliable forensic analysis. The revelation came during a hearing in which the apex court is reviewing a plea seeking a court-monitored probe into the authenticity of the audio clips linked to the 2023 ethnic violence in Manipur.

According to the NFSL’s report, which was submitted to the Supreme Court in a sealed cover, four of the examined audio clips showed clear signs of editing and manipulation. The forensic experts stated that because of these alterations, the recordings do not represent their original form, and thus no valid opinion can be given about whether the voice heard in them matches that of Biren Singh.

The findings were presented before a bench of Justices Sanjay Kumar and Alok Aradhe, which directed that copies of the NFSL report dated October 10, 2025, be provided to all concerned parties. The court also granted time for counsels to review the findings and submit their responses before the next hearing, scheduled for December 8, 2025.

The case stems from a petition filed by the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust (KOHUR), which had earlier relied on a report from a private forensic agency, Truth Labs, claiming a 93 percent probability that the voice in the disputed audio matched that of the former Chief Minister. However, the NFSL — a central government laboratory — has now contradicted that conclusion, finding the clips too compromised for scientific verification.

During the proceedings, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Union Government, informed the bench that the NFSL’s analysis conclusively found the audio files to be tampered, thereby invalidating the possibility of conducting any credible voice-matching test. He maintained that the state agencies had no control over the compromised recordings and that further investigation on that basis would not be forensically sound.

The counsel appearing for the State of Manipur supported this position, adding that the recordings were largely inaudible and unclear, making meaningful analysis difficult. The state argued that the evidence could not be relied upon in its present form and requested the Court to treat the NFSL’s assessment as the final expert opinion on the matter.

The Supreme Court had earlier directed that the disputed audio clips be examined by independent forensic agencies after the petitioners alleged that Singh’s voice could be heard making remarks linked to the May 2023 ethnic clashes between the Meitei and Kuki communities. The violence had resulted in widespread displacement, property destruction, and loss of lives across Manipur. The petition sought an investigation into whether public officials, including the former Chief Minister, had a role in escalating tensions.

The NFSL’s report now casts doubt on the authenticity of the recordings that formed the foundation of those allegations. With both the government and the forensic agency asserting that the files were edited, the credibility of the evidence has been called into question.

The Supreme Court’s latest direction ensures that all parties — including the petitioners and the government — have access to the official forensic findings before the next hearing. The Court is expected to decide in December on the future course of action, including whether any independent investigation or further verification is warranted.

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