‘Manipur Tapes’: Union Govt's Forensic Report 'Ready', SG's Absence Delays Submission
The Wire Staff
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New Delhi: The Union government on Thursday (April 17) sought an adjournment from the Supreme Court in the sensational ‘Manipur tapes’ case, stating that though the forensic report on the authenticity of the audio tapes is ready, solicitor general Tushar Mehta was unavailable at the moment to submit it to the court in a sealed cover, as asked by the court.
The counsel appearing for the government told the bench headed by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna that Mehta would submit the forensic report to the court shortly.
The audio clips, brought to public domain by The Wire after they were accepted by the judicial commission on the Manipur violence formed by the Union home ministry, created a sensation as a voice sounding like that of former Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singh could be heard claiming responsibility for the ethnic violence in the state.
The Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust (KOHUR) had thereafter petitioned the apex court seeking a judicial probe into the matter.
Accepting the petition, a bench led by then-Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud had asked the petitioner to authenticate the audio clips and submit a report to the court.
On February 3, hearing the case, the bench now headed by Chief Justice Khanna accepted the Union government’s plea to submit a forensic report on the audio clips by a government-owned lab.
The court gave three weeks to the government, ending on March 24, to carry out an authentication of the tapes by the Hyderabad-based Central Forensic Science Laboratory and submit it in a sealed cover.
The development was preceded by the petitioner, KOHUR, submitting to the court a report by Truth Lab, a highly regarded private laboratory. Truth Lab’s report had stated that there was 93% match between the clip and Biren Singh’s voice samples. and that there is a “high probability” that they are the same voice.
However, the case was not listed on March 24 and could be heard only on April 17.
Mehta on Thursday was present in another hearing in the chief justice’s court regarding the amended Waqf Act.
The court has set the next date of hearing for May 5.
This article went live on April seventeenth, two thousand twenty five, at fifty minutes past seven in the evening.The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.