Supreme Court to examine audio tapes against Manipur CM in riots case | Latest News India

The Supreme Court on Friday sought a sworn affidavit from a Manipur-based group which filed a petition claiming that a whistleblower recorded Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh saying that at his insistence, the ethnic violence was instigated in the northeastern state.

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud without issuing notice directed the petitioner — Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust — represented by advocate Prashant Bhushan to submit proof of authenticity of the audio clip and kept the issue open whether the matter needs to be considered by the high court. The court permitted the clip to be filed before the court in a pen drive.

“Before this court can consider the submissions made on the basis of the audio clip, we grant the petitioner time to file before this court, the material indicating the authenticity of the clip,” the bench, also comprising justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, said.

Demanding a court-monitored probe by special investigation team (SIT) to unearth the truth behind the clip, the petitioner argued that the recording was done by a whistleblower who was present at a meeting with the chief minister when the alleged statements were made. Bhushan requested for anonymity of the source.

The state government, represented by solicitor general Tushar Mehta, opposed the petition, saying the same could be filed even before the Manipur high court which has powers to order probe under Article 226 of the Constitution. “The court may consider if the high court’s majesty is being undermined by entertaining this petition,” he added.

To this, the CJI-led bench said: “It is because we are not sitting in ivory towers that we are willing to hear this application. We have a constitutional obligation and we know what is happening on the ground. Let us first see what they are producing before us.”

The court clarified that it is not issuing notice on the application as yet and kept open the question of sending the matter to the high court when the matter is heard next.

Manipur has been rocked by ethnic strife between the Meitei and Kuki communities since May 3 last year. More than 230 people have been killed and tens of thousands uprooted in the state so far.