New Delhi : The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered a forensic examination of the entire 48-minute leaked audio recording that allegedly points to the role of former Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh in the ethnic violence that erupted in the state in 2023.

A bench comprising Justices Sanjay Kumar and K Vinod Chandran directed that the complete audio recording, along with admitted voice samples of the former chief minister, be sent to the National Forensic Science University (NFSU), Gandhinagar, for detailed forensic analysis. The court also asked the NFSU to expedite the examination and submit its final report in a sealed cover.

“The entire 48 minutes of the conversation in question along with the admitted voice recordings of the former Manipur chief minister are available. All the voice recordings furnished by the petitioner shall be forwarded to the National Forensic Science University, Gandhinagar, for forensic examination,” the bench said in its order.

The court was hearing a petition filed by the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust (KOHUR), which has sought an independent special investigation team (SIT) probe into the leaked audio clips that surfaced in connection with the Manipur violence.

Senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the petitioner, told the court that the matter had been listed multiple times and submitted that the petition itself contained the transcript of the full 48-minute conversation. He said the complete audio recording had also been supplied to the authorities.

Appearing for the Manipur government, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati said the state had received the full recording only after the previous hearing.

The Supreme Court’s latest direction follows its earlier observation, made on December 15 last year, questioning why only select portions of the leaked audio clips had been sent for forensic examination. The bench had expressed concern over an affidavit filed by the petitioners on November 20, 2025, which indicated that only selected clippings were examined earlier.

In previous proceedings, the NFSU had stated that the leaked audio clips provided to it showed signs of tampering and were not scientifically fit for forensic voice comparison. The court had noted that the forensic report suggested the clips were edited and manipulated. Bhushan, however, had referred to a separate forensic assessment claiming that at least one of the recordings was unedited.

On earlier occasions, the apex court had sought sealed-cover forensic reports from both the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) and the NFSU to determine the authenticity of the leaked audio clips. On May 5 last year, the court examined one such report and asked the Manipur government to file a fresh status report on the probe.

N Biren Singh resigned as Manipur chief minister on February 9 last year amid internal dissent within the BJP and growing political pressure in the aftermath of the violence.

The ethnic clashes between the Imphal valley-based Meitei community and the hill-based Kuki groups erupted in May 2023 and have since claimed more than 260 lives, displacing thousands across the state.

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