The Supreme Court on Monday questioned the delay in submission of the fresh FSL (Forensic Science Laboratory) reports, even after three months of an order, to authenticate the audio clip that allegedly implicates former Manipur CM N. Biren Singh in the state’s ethnic violence.
Earlier, the Court had asked for a fresh FSL report while hearing the petition filed by the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust, which sought a court-monitored investigation into the leaked audio clips that allegedly contained the voice of Biren Singh, after expressing dissatisfaction with the previous report.
Before a bench comprising Justice Sanjay Kumar and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma, Advocate Prashant Bhushan, for the petitioner organisation, stated that it has been a year since the recordings surfaced. At the outset, Justice Kumar asked the Union of India: “We asked for the fresh forensic report,” according to reports received here.
When the Counsel responded that the report had not come, Justice Kumar questioned the delay and asked, “How long does it take FSL to give a definite report on the analysis of the voice? We will pass it over. This can’t go endlessly.” He added that the matter was passed over so that the SG could appear, but the matter was not taken up.
In February, the Court had sought the report of the Central FSL on the tapes. The petitioner’s counsel, Advocate Prashant Bhushan, had told the bench that Truth Labs, a private forensic laboratory, had certified the tapes to be authentic.
