Imran Khan can stay in India for now after unconditional apology: Bombay High Court
Khan was also give a written undertaking that he will stay away from future protests
Actor Imran Khan has won temporary relief from deportation. On Monday he told the Bombay High Court he would tender an “unconditional apology” for his alleged role in a demonstration against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The court’s comments during the hearing were blunt. Khan is a US citizen who holds an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card. The bench said such cardholders are “at the mercy of the country” and cannot claim the rights that Indian citizens have. It also asked Khan to give a written undertaking that he will stay away from future protests and agitations, as noted by Hindustan Times.
The Leave India Notice issued to him by the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) has been suspended until the next hearing, on December 7.
A protest, a complaint, and a deadline to leave
The case goes back to October 10. That day, Mumbai Police briefly detained Khan near August Kranti Maidan during a youth-led protest. The protesters wanted chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to resign over alleged irregularities in the SIR exercise.
BJP leader Kirit Somaiya then filed a police complaint. He argued that Khan, as a foreign national, had broken immigration rules by joining a political demonstration. Police forwarded an FIR, and on October 14 the FRRO ordered Khan to leave the country by October 28 under the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025.
The FRRO also issued a separate show-cause notice. It asked why Khan’s OCI registration should not be cancelled under Section 7D(e) of the Citizenship Act, 1955, which lets the government revoke OCI status on grounds including national security, sovereignty and public interest.
Khan’s case against the order
Khan went to the High Court on October 17. He called the notice arbitrary, unconstitutional and disproportionate, and made several arguments:
He did not organise or join the protest. He was only nearby and left when the police asked him to.
An allegation of taking part in a protest is not enough reason to remove him from the country.
He has lived in India for close to four decades, and his OCI status gives him a lifelong visa.
The FRRO acted without giving him a chance to explain himself.
The outcome now depends on the December 7 hearing. Both the deportation notice and the question of his OCI status are still open.
