An audio clip of a man calling out state governments for vaccine procurement and distribution and asking people to support the Narendra Modi government is falsely viral claiming he is Supreme Court lawyer Harish Salve. BOOM reached out to Salve's office who said that it was not him in the audio.
In the 7.19 minutes audio, a man speaking in Hindi mentions how Jawaharlal Nehru had imposed President's Rule in various states and says how activists calling out Narendra Modi should compare it to the situation earlier. In the audio he goes on to criticise Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, blaming them for vaccine procurement and distribution in the states. He ends by asking people to trust the Modi government and stand with the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The audio clip is being shared on WhatsApp with the caption, "Senior Lawyer Supreme court. Mr. Harish Salve alerts"
BOOM also received the audio clip on its WhatsApp helpline number (7700906111) inquiring about it.
Below is the viral audio clip:
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FACT-CHECK
BOOM found that an unrelated audio has been shared as Supreme Court lawyer Harish Salve calling out opposition leaders for vaccine distribution and procurement. We reached out to Salve's office who denied that the audio was recorded by him stating that it is not his voice.
We also found that the voice in the viral audio does not match Salve's voice when compared with other clips available where he is talking in public interaction or interviews. One can hear Salve speak in this interview from last month below
Even while comparing Salve's voice while speaking in Hindi with the voice in the audio, we can make out they are different.
Additionally, BOOM has previously debunked an audio clip that was falsely shared as him slamming Anti-CAA Protesters in January 2021.
Also Read: Harish Salve Did Not Record Audio Clip Slamming Anti CAA Protesters
In April 2021, Salve had recused himself from a Supreme court case as an Amicus Curiae from the suo motu proceedings on complications arising from the second COVID wave in the country. The Supreme Court had then taken a case involving the distribution of oxygen, vaccines and medicines across the country amid rising COVID-19 cases back then. An amicus curiae or a friend of court, is an impartial adviser appointed by a court in a particular case.
(Additional Reporting By Ritika Jain)