Imran Khan stays in India for now after Centre assures court of no action until 2 November
Photo: Collected
Bollywood actor Imran Khan, a US citizen, has won temporary relief from a government order to ‘leave India’. During the hearing of a writ petition he filed in the Bombay High Court challenging the notice, the central government assured the court that no administrative or coercive action would be taken against him until the next hearing on 2 November. The 43-year-old actor has thus been spared the expulsion order for the time being.
It all began with a notice from the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO), which asked Imran, an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholder, to leave India by 28 October. The FRRO claimed that on 10 October he had joined a protest rally in Delhi held in solidarity with a programme of the Cockroach Janata Party. The rally had demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging unilateral decision-making on his part and irregularities in the special intensive revision (SIR) of the voter list.
BJP leader Kirit Somaiya lodged a complaint with police, alleging that Imran’s presence at the rally as an American citizen had broken Indian rules. Police later forwarded the complaint to the FRRO, which on that basis served the actor with a notice to leave the country under the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025.
Section 7 of the act gives the central government full powers to regulate, restrict or prohibit the entry, stay and movement of any foreigner in India.
Imran Khan moved the Bombay High Court against the order on 17 October. In his petition he claimed he had not attended any such protest and had no links with the organisers. He described the FRRO notice as ‘illegal, arbitrary, perverse and an extreme step’. After the writ was filed, the FRRO sent him another show-cause notice asking why his OCI status should not be cancelled.
Because of the court’s interim direction, the administration will not take any harsh action against Imran Khan before the next hearing of the case on 2 November.
Source: NDTV
Background
According to a Bar and Bench report on 19 October, the case was filed as ‘Imran Khan Pal vs Union of India’, and the court also asked for the state of Maharashtra to be made a party.
According to a report in the English edition of Jang, Imran Khan returned to the screen after a break of nearly a decade with the film ‘Happy Patel: Khatarnak Jasoos’, which was scheduled for release on 16 January 2026.
At a glance
According to a notification from India’s home ministry, the Immigration and Foreigners Act 2025 came into force on 1 September 2025; President Droupadi Murmu gave her assent to the law on 4 April that year, Adaderana reported on 2 September 2025.
According to the same report, the act replaced four older laws, including the Foreigners Act 1946 and the Registration of Foreigners Act 1939.
Sources
Original report: Bangladesh Pratidin
Background sources: Bar and Bench, 19 October 2026; Adaderana, 2 September 2025; Jang (English), date not given
