‘Voices in pay-off clip of Yeddyurappa, and Ananth Kumar’

A forensic investigation has found the voice samples in an audio clip where alleged payments made to the BJP’s central leadership were being discussed matched with that of the party’s two senior leaders BS Yeddyurappa and Ananth Kumar.

In a report submitted to the Karnataka police’s cyber crime branch on October 4, the Bengaluru-based forensic science lab said: “Similarities were observed in fundamental frequency measurement of vowels in words selected from questioned and sample recordings.”

The Congress released the audio CD in February after BJP’s Karnataka unit chief Yeddyurappa had alleged that to stay in power state’s Congress chief minister Siddarmaiah paid money to the party high command.

The CD purportedly recorded a private conversation between the former chief minister and Union minister Kumar where they were discussing payments made to central leaders of political parties.

They were mentioning how the allegation of Siddarmaiah paying ₹1,000 crore to the Congress central leadership would dent the party’s image. At that point, Kumar was allegedly heard saying that even the BJP leaders had made similar payments to the central leadership of the party.

After the CD was released, the BJP had alleged that the tapes were fabricated, prompting the state government to order an investigation by the cyber crime branch. In May, a city court had ordered the two leaders to submit the voice samples for testing.

After the FSL’s finding, the case is now likely to be transferred to the Anti-Corruption Bureau as the matter pertains to alleged corruption.

Ananth Kumar on Monday said there was an undeclared emergency in the state,

“The Siddaramaiah government is putting cases against BJP state president Yeddyurappa and me. But we will not be cowed down by this,” Kumar said, while addressing a press conference. Kumar did not confirm or deny if the conversation recorded in the clip was real.

Yeddyurappa could not be contacted for his comment on the findings of the forensic report.