Actor Imran Khan, nephew of Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan, faces an immigration row after joining a protest against India’s Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in Mumbai. The Mumbai Police have directed the actor to leave India by October 28, following a complaint by BJP leader Kirit Somaiya over his participation in the demonstration despite his foreign citizenship.
According to Hindustan Times, the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) issued the notice after Somaiya approached the police, questioning whether Khan could legally participate in a political demonstration as a foreign national. The development has put the spotlight on the restrictions governing Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders and the powers Indian authorities have to regulate their presence in the country.
What triggered the action against Imran Khan?
Khan joined hundreds of demonstrators at Mumbai’s August Kranti Maidan on October 10. The protesters demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The demonstration supported the satirical political group Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which had planned a protest in Delhi. Tushar Gandhi, great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, called the Mumbai gathering in solidarity with the campaign.
Police detained around 400 people during the demonstration, including Khan, his partner, actor Lekha Washington, and his cousin Zayne Marie Khan. Members of Tushar Gandhi-led Hum Bharat Ke Log organisation and activists from the Communist Party of India (Marxist) were also among those detained. Police later released them.
Mumbai Police said organisers had not obtained permission for the gathering. The force also cited Bombay High Court directions restricting protests to Azad Maidan. CJP workers, however, maintained that they had emailed the police seeking permission but received no response.
Khan’s detention attracted attention after he posted a photograph from inside a police van on Instagram with the caption, “Apparently I’m going for a drive”.
A video later circulated online in which he was heard saying “Jai Hind” to the police. In another clip, the actor said he did not know why officers had taken him into custody. He claimed that police picked up demonstrators from the streets, put them in vans and drove them around for approximately two hours before releasing them.
What did Imran Khan say about joining the protest?
Khan said he attended the gathering as an individual and a resident of Mumbai, not as a representative of a political organisation.
“I don’t have demands. I am here as a citizen, as a person who lives in this city. I am here to see why freedom of movement is being restricted. Why are people’s voices being suppressed? That is why I am here,” he told the media.
His explanation places the dispute at the centre of a wider question: can a foreign national holding an OCI card participate in a political demonstration in India, and what consequences could follow?
Why does his OCI status matter?
Khan reportedly holds US citizenship and an OCI card rather than full Indian citizenship. Although the card offers people of Indian origin several privileges, it does not make them Indian citizens.
The Indian government’s OCI scheme provides eligible cardholders with a lifelong, multiple-entry visa and other benefits. However, OCI cardholders cannot vote in Indian elections, contest parliamentary or state legislative elections, or hold certain constitutional offices. They also remain subject to Indian immigration laws and applicable restrictions on foreign nationals.
The distinction matters because constitutional guarantees of freedom of speech and peaceful assembly under Article 19 of the Indian Constitution apply to citizens. Foreign nationals do not enjoy those particular guarantees on the same basis.
Police have argued that Khan’s participation in the protest violated provisions governing foreigners in India. However, his OCI status alone does not establish that every form of public protest is automatically prohibited. The specific legal basis for the notice, the restrictions applicable to his circumstances and the authority’s reasoning are therefore central to any challenge.
What law did authorities invoke?
The notice reportedly invokes Sections 7 and 29 of India’s Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025. Section 7 empowers the Central Government to issue directions regulating or restricting foreigners’ entry, departure, presence and movement in India. Section 29 is also cited in reports concerning the order directing Khan to leave the country.
The authorities’ position is that Khan’s participation in the demonstration breached rules governing foreign nationals. However, the notice itself is an administrative action, not a criminal conviction. Whether the grounds cited legally justify the direction will depend on the applicable provisions and the circumstances of the case.
The controversy also involves the status of the gathering itself. Police said the organisers lacked permission and referred to restrictions on protests outside Azad Maidan.
CJP supporters, meanwhile, said they had sought permission by email but received no reply. These competing accounts form part of the wider dispute surrounding the demonstration.
What did Kirit Somaiya allege?
BJP leader Kirit Somaiya approached Mumbai Police after Khan joined the October 10 protest. He alleged that the actor had participated in an “illegal political agitation” and violated OCI provisions and visa conditions.
Somaiya questioned whether a foreign citizen could take part in a demonstration that police considered unauthorised. He sought action against Khan, including his deportation, and pressed authorities to examine whether his participation breached the rules governing his immigration status.
Police referred the complaint to the FRRO, which handles specified immigration and foreigner-related matters. The office subsequently issued the notice requiring Khan to leave India by October 28.
The action followed Somaiya’s complaint, but that sequence alone does not establish that every allegation against the actor has been proved.
What can Imran Khan do now?
Khan faces a deadline of October 28 to leave India under the notice. His options will depend on the terms of the order and the legal advice available to him.
He could seek clarification from the issuing authority, challenge the notice before the appropriate forum or pursue judicial relief if he believes the decision lacks a lawful basis. He could also comply with the direction while pursuing any available legal remedy. The precise procedure and any possibility of suspending the deadline would depend on the applicable law and the relief granted by the competent authority or court.
An OCI card does not guarantee immunity from immigration action. Under India’s Citizenship Act, 1955, the government can cancel OCI registration on specified grounds, subject to the applicable legal requirements. A direction to leave the country and cancellation of OCI registration are, however, distinct actions and should not be treated as interchangeable.
As of October 15, no public response from Khan to the leave-India notice has been established in the reports cited here. It is therefore unclear whether he intends to challenge the order or leave the country by the deadline.
For now, the case raises two connected questions: how far India can restrict the political activities of foreign nationals and whether the authorities have sufficient legal grounds to direct an OCI cardholder to leave after participating in a protest. The answer will depend not simply on Khan’s nationality, but on the precise provisions invoked and how they apply to his case.
