The high-profile Delhi excise policy case continues to present new twists and turns. One of the major accused and witnesses is now claiming that his statements were forged and his signature forced by the agency.

Hyderabad-based businessman Arun Ramchandra Pillai has accused the Enforcement Directorate (ED) of forging his statements related to the Delhi excise scam. Pillai, who was arrested for alleged money laundering, claims that the ED forced him to sign two documents and presented them as his statements.

The ED had claimed that Pillai is a close associate of K Kavitha, daughter of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, and an alleged frontman of the liquor cartel "South Group". The ED claims that the group paid kickbacks to the Aam Aadmi Party to gain a larger share of the market in the national capital.

Pillai's lawyer has filed an application before the Rouse Avenue court seeking to retract his statements reportedly recorded before the agency. The court has issued a notice to the ED and directed them to file their reply by March 13. The ED alleged that Pillai represented the "South Group" in meetings with other accused when the Delhi excise policy was being formulated and implemented. The policy was subsequently scrapped in August last year and the Delhi Lieutenant-Governor asked the CBI to probe the alleged irregularities and corruption involving government authorities, bureaucrats, and liquor traders.

Manish Sisodia in custody till March 17

Meanwhile, Manish Sisodia, the former Delhi deputy chief minister, was sent to the custody of the Enforcement Directorate until March 17. The agency alleged that Sisodia was involved in a "multi-crore scam" that generated proceeds of more than Rs 290 crore, and sought his custody for 10 days, although special judge M K Nagpal granted seven days.

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The Enforcement Directorate accuses Sisodia of generating "kickbacks" and playing a role in the "formation, transfer, and concealment of the proceeds of crime", while also allegedly destroying 14 phones or IMEIs, with just two phones recovered during CBI raids. Sisodia's lawyers argue that policy-making is the executive's job and that the excise policy must have been examined and accepted by the Lieutenant Governor, while supporters of his Aam Aadmi Party demonstrated outside the court.

Though he has remained in custody since February 26, Sisodia has said that his imprisonment cannot break his spirit. In a tweet posted by his team on his official Twitter handle, Sisodia stated that he will remain undeterred and compared his situation to the freedom fighters who remained steadfast in the face of British oppression.

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Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has, in the meanwhile, accused the authorities of keeping Sisodia in jail on false charges. Kejriwal has stated that the CBI found no evidence against Sisodia and that the ED arrested him only because he would have been granted bail.

K Kavitha brought to Delhi for questioning

Kavitha appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the Delhi excise policy scam today. The ED questioned her regarding the alleged destruction of the mobile devices she had been using at the time of the scam. The agency also collected her personal and financial information. She was also confronted with Pillai, who is already trying to recant his statements. The ED has accused Kavitha of holding benami investment in Indospiritis, one of the liquor companies named in the case.