Cinema VinesThe Bombay High Court has temporarily suspended a directive from the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) that ordered Bollywood actor Imran Khan to leave India by October 28. The bench, composed of Chief Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi and Justice Advait Sethna, issued the stay on Tuesday, and the order will remain in force until the case is heard again on November 2 at 3 p.m.
Central government lawyers asked the court for an extension to respond to Khan’s petition, and the court granted the request. The Centre’s counsel assured the bench that no coercive action would be taken against Khan during the interim period. The Additional Solicitor General, representing the government, also requested that the matter be listed for the next hearing on Monday, November 2, and promised that no action would be taken against the actor before that date.
Khan’s petition, filed on October 17, seeks to quash the FRRO’s October 14 “Leave India Notice” and to obtain interim protection against deportation, lookout notices and interference with his Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) status. He argues that the notice was issued hastily after his brief detention by police for participating in protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, and that political pressure and social media campaigns influenced the decision. Khan also claims that the authorities bypassed safeguards under Section 7D of the Citizenship Act, which governs the cancellation of OCI registration.
In addition to the leave‑India notice, the FRRO issued a show‑cause notice on October 17 under Section 7D concerning the possible cancellation of Khan’s OCI status. This separate notice has not yet been challenged in the current petition. Khan has asked the court to direct the authorities to produce internal records related to the decision to issue the notice.
The court adjourned the matter and ordered that the FRRO’s directive remain suspended until the next hearing on November 2. The case will be heard again at 3 p.m. on that date, at which point the court will decide whether to lift the stay or enforce the leave‑India order.
