Actor Imran Khan has been issued a fresh show-cause notice by the Foreign Regional Registration Office (FRRO) in Mumbai, questioning why his Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card should not be cancelled, sources said.
According to sources, the FRRO has sought a response from the actor within 15 days in connection with the matter. The authority will decide whether to cancel his OCI status after receiving his response, sources added.
The development comes shortly after the Jaane Tu...Ya Jaane Na actor approached the Bombay High Court on Saturday, October 17, to challenge a 'Leave India' notice issued by the Mumbai FRRO. The earlier notice directed Khan, a US national holding OCI status, to depart the country by October 28, 2026.
The action was initiated following Khan’s participation in a Mumbai demonstration demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. In his petition filed before the Bombay High Court, the actor challenged the expulsion order, citing procedural lapses and arguing that the direction was arbitrary.
The FRRO notice identifies Khan as a US national and alleges violations of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, and the rules and orders issued under it. It warns of prosecution if he fails to leave by the deadline.
The actor's plea says the notice does not identify which provision he breached, how or when. It also argues that the FRRO treated him solely as a US national, overlooking his lifelong residency rights as an OCI cardholder.
Khan was given 14 days to leave without a prior inquiry, show-cause notice or opportunity to be heard, the petition says.
Earlier, filmmaker Kiran Rao had also backed Imran Khan over the "Leave India" notice. Rao, in her Instagram story wrote, "43 years old. 40 of those years in India. Studied here, worked here, succeeded here, failed here, loved here and fought here (sic)."
Actor-comedian and satirist Cyrus Broacha, in an exclusive interview with India Today, also addressed the controversy. He said, "I find it ridiculous. I think the right to dissent and the right to protest should be fulfilled if you are in a democracy, and if he wants to do that, let him do that."
The protest on October 10 in Mumbai was called by author Tushar Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi's great-grandson, in support of the Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reforms' demand for Kumar's resignation. Imran Khan attended the protest along with his cousin Zayn Marie and his girlfriend Lekha Washington. They were detained by the Mumbai police and released later in the evening of October 10.
