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NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered a full forensic examination of a controversial 48-minute audio recording that allegedly shows former Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh's involvement in the 2023 ethnic violence. The court directed the National Forensic Science University (NFSU) in Gandhinagar to analyze both the complete audio and Singh's admitted voice samples, with results to be submitted in a sealed cover, as reported by PTI.“The entire 48 minutes of the conversation in question along with the admitted voice recordings of the former Manipur CM are available... All the voice recordings furnished to the respondents by the learned counsel for the petitioner shall also be included therewith and forwarded to the National Forensic Science University Gandhinagar,” ordered the bench ordered.The case, which has been listed about 10 times, gained new momentum when lawyer Prashant Bhushan, representing the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights (KOHUR) Trust, presented the complete transcript.

The state government, through Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, only recently received the full recording.This fresh examination comes after earlier controversy when the NFSU initially gave a clean chit, claiming the audio clips were tampered with. The court had expressed concern in December that only selected portions were previously analysed instead of the complete recording.The petition alleges that Biren Singh played a key role in violence against the Kuki-Zo community.

According to lawyer Bhushan, the recorded conversation suggests state machinery's involvement in the ethnic clashes that killed over 260 people and displaced thousands since May 2023.The violence erupted after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' protested the Manipur High Court's order on Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe status. Singh, who resigned as chief minister in February 2024 amid political pressure, is accused by KOHUR of orchestrating violence against Kuki-dominated areas.