The Bombay high court on Monday deferred till November 3 Mumbai journalist Ketan Tirodkar's petition seeking to expose the unholy nexus between cops and the underworld even as police filed an affidavit denying the charge.

Justice Sharad Bobade also ordered the police to continue the protection given to Tirodkar since October 17 until November 4.

The journalist had filed a complaint with Police Commissioner R S Sharma and other authorities on October 6 disclosing a series of illegal acts and omissions committed by police officers in connivance with dreaded underworld gangsters and heads of organised crime syndicates. The acts of police officers, he claimed, amounted to committing offences under provisions of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act and the Indian Penal Code.

No action had been taken on his complaint so far. On the contrary, unidentified persons were following the petitioner, who smelt a danger to his life from various persons, including policemen and organised crime syndicates.

While his lawyer Amin Solkar said the journalist was under threat for exposing the alleged police-underworld nexus, prosecutor Pravin Singhal alleged he was a "tout" of underworld kingpin Dawood Ibrahim.