Manipur violence: Centre to SC over Audio clips allegedly involving Biren Singh ready for forensic probe
Manipur violence: Centre to SC over Audio clips allegedly involving Biren Singh ready for forensic probe
Digital Desk: The Centre informed the Supreme Court on Thursday that a forensic report on the authenticity of leaked audio clips alleging former Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh's involvement in the state's ethnic violence was ready and will be filed in a sealed cover shortly.
A bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna took note of the statements of a counsel representing the Centre and the state government and postponed the hearing on a petition filed by the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust (KOHUR) till the week beginning May 5.
The attorney stated that the report from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) would be filed by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, but requested an adjournment because the law officer was currently unavailable.
Previously, a top court requested a sealed-cover forensic investigation from the CFSL on the validity of leaked audio clips alleging Singh's involvement in the ethnic violence that began in May 2023.
Singh resigned as Manipur's chief minister on February 9, amid rumblings within the state BJP and mounting calls for a change of leadership.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan on behalf of KOHUR had requested a court-monitored SIT investigation into Singh's alleged involvement. The CJI had stated, "The state is gradually limping back to normalcy and we will keep it (the matter) on hold at the moment." He added that he would later determine whether the case should be heard by the high court or the top court.
The observations were accepted by the solicitor general. Singh was allegedly heard stating that Meitei groups were permitted to steal weapons and ammunition from the state government, according to Bhushan, who called the contents of the audio leaks a "very serious matter. He went on to say, "I have annexed transcripts of tape recordings."
There were attempts to keep the "pot boiling," according to a report by a committee of three high court judges, and the solicitor general claimed that the petitioner had "ideological inclinations."
According to Bhushan, "a truth lab verified that 93% of it is the chief minister's voice, and truth labs are far more trustworthy than the FSL reports." But the policeman doubted the truth lab's report's accuracy. A bench led by former CJI D Y Chandrachud ordered KOHUR to provide evidence on November 8 of last year that some of the leaked audio clips were real.
Bhushan has petitioned the high court to investigate the leaked audio tapes of a conversation between the Meitei and Kuki communities in Manipur.
The skirmishes began when a 'Tribal Solidarity March' protested against a Manipur High Court judgment on the Meitei community's request for Scheduled Tribe recognition. According to the plea, Singh played a key role in inciting and sheltering the attackers.
The petitioner seeks a court-monitored probe by a special investigation team to find a conspiracy involving the state's top functionary, the chief minister. The leaked audio records have caused debate.
