Mumbai: Bollywood actor Imran Khan has been asked to leave India by October 28, 2026, after his participation in an October 10 protest in Mumbai demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The order was issued by the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) and followed a complaint by BJP leader Kirit Somaiya.
OCI status is not citizenship
Khan is an American citizen and holds an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card. The scheme allows eligible foreign citizens of Indian origin to keep long-term ties with India through a lifelong, multiple-entry visa. What it does not confer is Indian citizenship. An OCI holder cannot vote, cannot contest parliamentary or assembly elections, and remains subject to Indian immigration law.
Police confirmed the notice on Thursday, October 15. “Imran Khan participated in the agitation at Mumbai’s August Kranti Maidan, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar,” police said in a statement. Officials added that foreign nationals are prohibited from participating in political protests or political activity under immigration provisions.
The protest and the legal fault line
Khan was among those briefly detained at the August Kranti Maidan demonstration organised by the Cockroach Janta Party, a Gen Z-led movement demanding electoral reforms. He later posted a photograph from inside a police van on Instagram with the line, “Apparently I’m going for a drive.” Speaking to reporters, he said he had joined “as a citizen, as a person who lives in this city” and was not representing any organisation.
The reported notice invokes two provisions of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025:
- Section 7 lets the Central Government regulate entry, departure and continued presence of foreign nationals and impose conditions on their stay.
- Section 29 concerns the removal of foreign nationals in specified circumstances.
Separately, Section 7D of the Citizenship Act, 1955 permits cancellation of OCI registration on specified grounds, a process distinct from a removal order and requiring an opportunity to be heard. Supreme Court advocate Amitraj Kaushal has noted that Indian law does not impose an automatic blanket ban on OCI cardholders attending peaceful gatherings; Article 19 assembly rights belong to citizens, while Articles 14 and 21 extend to all persons. The question is whether political activity can affect a foreign national’s permission to remain.
A comeback clouded
For Bollywood’s memory, Imran Khan is the lead of the 2008 romantic comedy Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na, after earlier child roles in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak and Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar. He followed with films including I Hate Luv Storys, Mere Brother Ki Dulhan and Delhi Belly. The immigration notice arrives during a significant moment: Khan is returning to acting in 2026 with the Netflix film Adhure Hum Adhure Tum after a break of more than a decade.
What to watch
Khan has until October 28 to leave India. It is not yet clear whether he intends to challenge the notice, whether his OCI registration could face separate proceedings, or whether authorities will reconsider. The case turns on a distinction that matters for many in the film industry: a long-term connection to India is not an unconditional right to remain.
Source: Ascendants
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