Bombay High Court puts ‘leave India’ notice against Imran Khan on hold till Nov 2

The Bombay High Court has granted interim relief to actor Imran Khan by keeping a notice directing him to leave India on hold until November 2, after the Centre assured the court that no immediate action would be taken against him.

The court on Tuesday deferred the hearing on Khan’s petition challenging the notice issued by the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO), Mumbai, asking him to leave the country by October 28. The next hearing is scheduled for November 2 at 3 pm.

Khan, a US citizen who holds an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card, had approached the high court challenging the notice as arbitrary and illegal. His counsel, senior advocate Venkatesh Dhond, pointed out that the deadline for leaving India was the following day.

Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, appearing for the Centre, sought more time and assured the court that no immediate action would be taken against the actor until the next hearing. The court subsequently kept the notice in abeyance until November 2.

The case stems from an incident on October 10, when Khan was briefly detained by Mumbai Police near August Kranti Maidan during a protest seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. His partner, Lekha Washington, and cousin Zayn Marie Khan were also detained.

The FRRO issued the notice on October 14, directing the actor to leave India by October 28 under the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025.

In his petition, Khan argued that the notice was issued without disclosing specific reasons or the alleged statutory violations. He also contended that he was not given a prior hearing or an opportunity to respond to the allegations.

The actor has denied actively participating in the protest and questioned the legality and proportionality of the action against him.

The high court is scheduled to take up his challenge on November 2.