In a major development concerning the ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur, the Supreme Court on Monday directed the Union Government to arrange a fresh forensic examination of controversial audio recordings allegedly involving former Chief Minister N Biren Singh. The court expressed serious concerns over the authenticity of the previous sealed cover report submitted by the Centre and questioned its credibility. The audio clips in question allegedly contain explosive admissions by Singh, suggesting that the violence between the Meitei and Kuki communities that erupted in May 2023 may have been instigated under his direction. The communal conflict, which continued until early 2024, resulted in the deaths of more than 230 people and displaced thousands, leaving deep scars across the northeastern state. A bench headed by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar was hearing a petition filed by the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust, represented by senior advocate Prashant Bhushan. The petitioner has sought a court-monitored investigation into the leaked audio tapes, asserting that they serve as key evidence of the former Chief Minister’s role in the violence.
During the hearing, the bench scrutinized the sealed cover report submitted by the Union Government and found it lacking in substance. Turning to Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, the Chief Justice remarked, “What is this? Please speak to your officers, read the content, and then talk to them. We need a proper report.” Mehta responded by saying he had not reviewed the report himself and was therefore unable to comment on its contents. However, the court made it clear that the matter could not be brushed aside. “No one can be protected from scrutiny—neither by the judiciary nor the executive,” the bench noted. The court’s direction marks a significant step in ensuring accountability and transparency in a case that continues to raise difficult questions about state leadership, communal harmony, and institutional response. The order for a fresh analysis by the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) signals that the apex court intends to leave no stone unturned in seeking the truth.
The next hearing is expected after the submission of the new CFSL report. Meanwhile, the demand for justice by civil society groups and the victims of the Manipur conflict grows louder. The leaked tapes and the court’s sharp reaction have reignited public debate across Imphal’s bustling market areas and the wider region, with local residents expressing a mixture of hope and frustration. “We want peace, but we also want those responsible to be held accountable,” said a vendor in Imphal’s Ima Keithel market, Asia’s largest women-run market.
