GUWAHATI: The Supreme Court of India has agreed to review video recordings that reportedly implicate Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh in the state’s ongoing communal unrest. This decision was taken on Friday, November 8.
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The tapes, submitted by the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust, allegedly include incriminating admissions by Singh, linking him to fueling insurgency and condoning the looting of arms.
During the hearing, Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud, along with Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, requested proof of the tapes’ authenticity from the petitioners, instructing them to submit material that validates the recordings.
Representing the Kuki organisation, advocate Prashant Bhushan asserted that the tapes capture the chief minister admitting to actions which intensified communal violence between the Meitei and Kuki communities.
“The whistleblower recorded the chief minister’s conversation, in which he reportedly admits to fueling insurgency and protecting those who looted arms,” Bhushan stated. He further informed the Court that the tapes were already submitted to the Lamba Commission, which is investigating the violence in Manipur.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Central government, opposed the Court’s decision to consider the petition, questioning the intent behind the allegations. He argued that the petitioner’s aim was not peace but to “keep the fire burning.”
However, the Supreme Court decided to proceed with examining the tapes, stressing the Court’s responsibility to address such issues without dismissal. Responding firmly, CJI Chandrachud underscored the Supreme Court’s duty to scrutinise the case. “We have a duty as a Constitutional court and we cannot brush things under the carpet.,” he said.
