Actor Imran Khan, a US citizen and Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholder, plans to challenge the order directing him to leave India by 28 October in the Bombay High Court.
NDTV reports that his lawyer, Zulfiqar Memon, will file a petition challenging the Foreigners Regional Registration Office’s (FRRO) order. The notice follows Khan’s participation in a Mumbai protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The actor, known for several hit films in the late 2000s, was detained after joining the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) protest. BJP leader Kirit Somaiya subsequently lodged a complaint with the police, alleging that Khan had violated the rules by taking part in the demonstration despite holding US citizenship.
Police forwarded the complaint to the FRRO, which issued a notice directing Khan to leave India. The office contended that his OCI status did not permit him to participate in protests.
The notice invokes the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025. Section 7 empowers the Indian central government to regulate, restrict or prohibit foreigners’ entry, departure, presence or movement in the country.
Abu Azmi, chief of the Samajwadi Party’s Maharashtra unit, criticised the decision. “This is wrong. Imran Khan belongs to this country. Even if he has changed his nationality, he is still connected to this country,” he said.
Azmi argued that people who move abroad can remain attached to their homeland and their ancestors’ land. He also described the order as an attempt by the government to prevent its failures from being exposed, saying the decision to force Khan to leave so quickly was too harsh.
Khan attended the protest at Mumbai’s August Kranti Maidaan with his partner, Lekha Washington, and cousin Zayne Marie Khan. Police detained all three before releasing them.
Khan later shared a photograph of them inside a police van, joking, “Apparently I’m going for a drive.”
Explaining why he joined the demonstration, he said: “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.”
