Mumbai: Actor Imran Khan has approached the Bombay High Court challenging a notice issued by the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO), Mumbai, directing him to leave India by October 28, calling the action arbitrary, illegal and unconstitutional. Separately, the FRRO has issued him a show-cause notice asking why his Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) registration should not be cancelled.
Khan’s legal team, led by advocate Zulfikar Memon, is likely to mention the matter before the High Court on Monday (October 19), seeking an urgent hearing.
In his petition, Khan has sought quashing of the October 14 ‘Leave India Notice’, contending that it does not specify the provisions of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, that he allegedly violated. He has also argued that the notice was issued without an inquiry, a show-cause notice or an opportunity to be heard.
The petition states that Khan has held OCI status since 2006 and has lived in India since he was about two years old. He has cited his education, professional work and family ties in the country to underline his longstanding association with India.
Khan has linked the departure notice to an incident on October 10 near August Kranti Maidan and Nana Chowk in Mumbai, where he says he was briefly detained by police. According to his account, he was returning to his vehicle when he was surrounded by media personnel and apprehended. He has denied entering any restricted or barricaded area or disobeying police directions to leave.
The petition further states that Khan was taken to the Yellow Gate Police Station with family members and subsequently released. It refers to an FIR registered at Gamdevi Police Station on October 10 under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Khan has contended that the departure notice appears to have been issued in connection with the FIR, although the allegations remain unproven. According to the petition, no chargesheet had been filed and no charges framed when the notice was issued.
The actor has challenged the direction as disproportionate and in violation of the legal safeguards he claims apply in his case. He has also sought disclosure of the records and material relied upon by the FRRO, along with interim protection against coercive action, including removal or deportation, blacklisting or any action affecting his OCI registration while the matter is pending.
The separate show-cause notice asks Khan to explain why his OCI registration should not be cancelled. His lawyer, Zulfiquar Memon, said the notice should have been issued before the departure order.
Khan is a US citizen and an OCI cardholder. The show-cause notice does not itself mean his OCI registration has been cancelled; the matter remains subject to the authorities’ consideration of his response.
(With inputs from PTI & ANI)