FRRO sends notice to Imran Khan, seeks explanation on why his OCI status should not be cancelled
New Delhi: Actor Imran Khan has received a show-cause notice from the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO), asking him to explain why his Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) registration should not be cancelled. The latest development follows a separate directive requiring him to leave India by October 28, after he attended a protest in Mumbai demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
According to The Times of India, the FRRO issued the second notice on Saturday, October 17, following its earlier order dated October 14. Khan has been given 15 days to respond before the authorities consider further action under the Citizenship Act, 1955.
The notice refers to Khan’s presence at August Kranti Maidan in Mumbai during a demonstration linked to the Campaign for Judicial Process (CJP) and its protest against the Chief Election Commissioner. It states that the gathering did not have police permission and that a case was registered against Khan and other participants for unlawful assembly.
What the FRRO notice says about Imran Khan’s OCI registration
The FRRO has asked Khan to explain why his OCI status should not be revoked in connection with his alleged participation in the protest. However, the notice also acknowledges that the registration of a police case or detention alone does not establish the allegations as proven or automatically justify cancelling his OCI status. Participation in the demonstration, by itself, is also not conclusive grounds for cancellation.
The 15-day response period allows Khan to present his explanation before any decision is taken on his registration. The process falls under the Citizenship Act, 1955, which sets out the provisions governing the cancellation of OCI registration.
Why was Imran Khan ordered to leave India?
The latest notice follows an earlier directive issued by the Mumbai FRRO on October 14, four days after Khan attended the protest at August Kranti Maidan. The demonstration called for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Khan was briefly detained by the police during the gathering.
According to a report by the Press Trust of India (PTI), a former BJP MP had approached the Mumbai Police over the actor’s participation in the protest.
The earlier notice invoked provisions of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025. Section 7 empowers the government to direct a foreign national to leave India, while Section 29 provides for the removal of a foreigner from the country.
Issued on the Bureau of Immigration’s letterhead, the notice states that Khan has “contravened the provisions of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025 and the Rules and Orders made thereunder”.
It further directs that he “shall not remain in India and shall depart from India on or before 28.10.2026”.
Imran Khan challenges ‘leave India’ order in Bombay High Court
Khan has approached the Bombay High Court to contest the earlier directive. In his petition, he has argued that the order does not specify the reasons for the alleged violations or allow him to respond before directing him to leave the country.
The actor is seeking legal relief against the notice, which requires him to depart by October 28. His challenge to that order is separate from the FRRO’s subsequent show-cause notice concerning his OCI registration.