Imran Khan, 43, in India 40 years, must leave by Oct 28

Bollywood actor Imran Khan has been asked by the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) in Mumbai to leave India by October 28, weeks after he was detained during a protest over electoral roll revision concerns.

The notice was served on October 15 and cites alleged violations of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025. Imran, the nephew of Aamir Khan, reportedly holds a US passport and an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card.

Kiran Rao and Saba Azad react

Filmmaker Kiran Rao pushed back on social media, questioning the order. “Wah, now it’s Mumbai police?” she wrote. She then added: “43 years old. 40 of those years in India. Studied here, worked here, succeeded here, failed here, loved here and fought here.”

Actor Saba Azad was equally direct. “What? This is bulls**t,” she wrote while reacting to the news.

How the notice unfolded

The dispute goes back to October 10, when Imran and his partner, actor Lekha Washington, were detained at Mumbai’s August Kranti Maidan. The protest, organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), called for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over concerns around the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

After his detention, Imran shared a photograph that appeared to show him inside a police van, captioning it “Apparently I’m going for a drive”. He told journalists he attended as a Mumbai resident, not as the representative of any political organisation, and said he was there to see why freedom of movement was being restricted and voices suppressed.

• October 10: Detained at a Mumbai protest; a police-van photo goes up on social media.
• October 15: FRRO issues a notice asking him to leave by October 28.
• Next: A Bombay High Court petition is being prepared, according to his lawyer.

A legal fight in the Bombay High Court

Imran’s lawyer, Zulfikar Memon, has confirmed that the actor plans to challenge the FRRO notice in the Bombay High Court. The petition was expected to be filed on Friday or the following Monday. His legal team has called the order drastic and argued that there is no specific provision banning OCI cardholders from participating in protests.

The notice followed a complaint by BJP leader Kirit Somaiya, who alleged that Imran had violated the conditions of his OCI status and called for his arrest and deportation.

Why this matters for film fans

An OCI card allows a foreign passport holder of Indian origin to live and work in India for the long term, but it comes with conditions. When a Bollywood actor faces an exit deadline over civic participation, it puts those conditions under a very public spotlight.

The case may also matter beyond one star. It touches the line between residency rules and peaceful political expression for OCI cardholders, including artists, technicians and media professionals working across Indian cinema. For now, all eyes are on the Bombay High Court filing and whether the actor gets interim relief before the October 28 deadline.

Source: India Today