On Friday, the Supreme Court agreed to examine the authenticity of certain audio recordings that allegedly point to the involvement of Manipur Chief Minister (CM) N Biren Singh in the ongoing violence between the Meitei and Kuki communities.
The bench, consisting of Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala, and Justice Manoj Misra, directed the petitioner, the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust, to provide more information on the source of the tapes and evidence to establish their authenticity.
“We grant the petitioner the opportunity to file material confirming the authenticity of the clip. The council states that the clip will be submitted,” the Court remarked.
The matter arose after advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing the petitioner, informed the Court that the whistleblower had recorded a conversation with CM N Biren Singh, in which the latter allegedly admitted to “fueling the insurgency and protecting those who looted arms.”
“The CM allowed arms and ammunition to be looted. How can the state be trusted to investigate this?” Bhushan questioned, stressing that the issue was serious and went beyond ordinary matters.
Bhushan further added that the tapes had been submitted to the Lamba Commission, underlining that the present case was far from ordinary. “This Court is dealing with the Manipur issue. This is not just another case,” Bhushan argued.
Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta, representing the Central government, strongly opposed the plea, accusing the petitioners of stoking further unrest in the region.
“An investigation is already ongoing. The Chief Minister has met with Kuki MLAs to bring peace, but the whistleblower does not want peace. The intention is to keep the fire of conflict alive,” SG Mehta asserted.
He suggested that the petitioners should approach the High Court, adding, “My suggestion is not to undermine the majesty of the High Court. Let them approach the High Court instead.”
Despite SG Mehta’s objections, the Supreme Court decided to go ahead and review the tapes for their authenticity.
As the hearing concluded, SG Mehta expressed concerns, stating, “We have a porous border, and it is hard to know what is happening on the ground. It’s easy to be detached and make decisions from ivory towers.”
In response, CJI Chandrachud firmly stated, “We have a constitutional duty to address these matters. We are not ignoring what is happening in Manipur. It is precisely because we are not in ivory towers that we are hearing this case and did not dismiss it outright. Not the least, Solicitor, not the least.”
