Gandhinagar, May 11 (IANS) Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Satish Verma, investigating a high-profile fake gunbattle case, Wednesday sought protection from the Gujarat High Court against any action likely to be taken by the state government against him in another case.

 
 The officer, who allegedly delayed the arrest of a man and is apprehending a departmental inquiry after a recent high court order, moved a plea seeking a review and recall of the order.
 
 He has expressed the apprehension that the state government may use this as a pretext to act against him as he is investigating the Ishrat Jahan staged shootout case as part of the Special Investigation Team appointed by the Gujarat High Court.
 
 Verma, an inspector general of police-rank oficer, had sought the court's permission to register a fresh first information report (FIR) saying that the police gunbattle encounter may not be genuine.
 
 Even as  Verma is investigating the Ishrat Jahan case, an old case of 1993 is being pursued against him.
 
 IPS officers Verma, Atul Karval and police inspector Sukhdevsinh Zala are facing allegations that they had let off Sattar Maulana, a key accused of the Gosabara arms landing case, when posted at Porbandar.
 
 A part of the RDX consignment landed at Gosabara near Porbandar was used in the Mumbai serial blasts.
 
 On April 28, a bench of the Gujarat high court consisting of Chief Justice S.J. Mukhopadhya and Justice J.B. Pardiwala had ordered the state government to act upon a report prepared by Pramod Kumar, additional director general of police regarding the  role of the police officers.
 
 In Wednesday's plea, Verma further sought the court to restrain the government from taking any decision prejudicial to him.