Imran Khan faces Oct 28 deadline to leave India

Imran Khan has spent most of his life in Mumbai, but the law still treats him as a visitor. The actor, known for Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na, I Hate Luv Storys and Delhi Belly, is now fighting a Mumbai Police order that requires him to leave India by October 28.

At the centre of the dispute is his United States citizenship and his participation in a protest at Mumbai’s August Kranti Maidan against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

What the notice says

Khan was born in Madison, Wisconsin, and later moved to Mumbai after his parents divorced. Despite a successful Bollywood run, official records have long placed him in India on a working visa, not as a citizen.

Following his detention at the protest, police issued a notice under Section 7 of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, citing violations of visa conditions. The notice directs him to leave the country by October 28.

The 2011 passport dream

The current row has pushed an older interview back into circulation. During the promotions of the 2011 film Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, co-starring Katrina Kaif, Khan spoke publicly about his legal status. At the time he was married to Avantika Malik, an Indian citizen, and said he wanted to settle permanently in India.

He told the press, “I am trying to get an Indian passport. The official proceedings are on.” He added, “I feel it is my duty to serve my country.” Because he was not a citizen, he could not vote, but he said he still joined election awareness campaigns.

That foreign status had already made headlines earlier when he tried to file a public interest litigation challenging Maharashtra’s legal drinking age, only to face procedural hurdles as a non-citizen.

The fight moves to court

His legal team is preparing to challenge the order in the Bombay High Court and is seeking urgent judicial intervention. The reported argument is that a leave notice is overly drastic.

Within the film industry, opinion is split:

• Filmmaker Ashoke Pandit has backed the government’s stance that non-citizens should not take part in political demonstrations.
• Others have expressed concern about a move that could force out a performer who grew up in Mumbai.
• The court’s decision may become a reference point for foreign-origin artists working in Indian cinema on visas.

Why fans are watching

This is not just a legal update. It reframes a long-running question about belonging in Bollywood, an industry that has always mixed Indian and international talent. Khan’s old words about wanting an Indian passport now read differently: a star asking for formal recognition of a country he already treated as home.

For now, the October 28 date is the immediate marker. The Bombay High Court’s response will decide whether this becomes a straightforward visa enforcement or a longer legal battle.

Source: India Today