Gandhinagar, May 11 (IANS) Balwant Singh, additional chief secretary of the Gujarat home department, Wednesday apologised to the high court in an affidavit he submitted on the transfer of officers connected with the Ishrat Jahan case.

 
 A bench comprising Justices Jayant Patel and Abhilasha Kumari had earlier asked Singh to explain why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against him for not complying with the court's order on the transfer the officers.
 
 The court had ordered the government to transfer officers suspected to be involved in the alleged fake shootout in which Ishrat Jahan was killed so that the witnesses can depose fearlessly.
 
 In the affidavit filed Wednesday, Singh stated that there has never been any intention on his part or any of the officers of the department to disobey or flout the court's order.
 
 Explaining the delay, he said it was "mainly because of the budget session of the state legislature".
 
 He stated the minister of state for home was engaged during that period.
 
 He said the delay was also caused by the security arrangements for the World Cup cricket matches that were scheduled in the state.
 
 The case is likely to be heard Thursday.
 
 Mumbai college student Ishrat Jahan, Pranesh Pillai, Amjad Ali Rana and Zeeshan Johar were killed by the city crime branch officials in an alleged staged shootout on the outskirts of Ahmedabad in June 2004.
 
 The police had termed them Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operatives on a mission to kill Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.