The Delhi High Court Thursday rejected a plea by TV producer Suhaib Ilyasi, best known for the serial "IndiaTV's Most Wanted", that he should be provided security at state expense.

Judge Vikramjit Sen allowed a submission by the home ministry that Ilyasi could be provided "X-category" security provided he paid for it.

Rejecting Ilyasi's plea that the government should pay for his security, Sen said the petitioner could avail of X-category security on payment. Counsel for the home ministry said the government recommended the providing of one of three categories of security - X, Y or Z - to people who were facing proven threats from terrorists or militants.

Ilyasi had a local threat perception for which Delhi Police could provide security on their own, but as a special case he had been recommended for X-category security provided he paid for it, counsel said.

When judge Sen asked counsel who would provide security to a person who was exposing criminal activities and bringing people involved in it to book, he said the local police would take care of such people.

Ilyasi's argument was that he required security because he had received threatening calls from a Bollywood actor who had figured in a sting operation conducted by IndiaTV to expose an alleged racket to exploit girls in the name of giving them breaks in the film industry.

Ilyasi said that the actor had started threatening him after he came to know about the recording of his conversations with several girls.

He said that the actor had threatened him with dire consequences if he dared to telecast the conversations in his serial.