Bombay High Court Stays Deportation of Actor Imran Khan
Imran Khan tendered an unconditional apology to the Bombay High Court to stay a government order directing the US citizen and OCI cardholder to leave India.
The Bombay High Court extended an interim stay on a Leave India Notice issued to Imran Khan, a Bollywood actor and US citizen with Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) status. The Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) had ordered Khan to depart the country by October 28 following his alleged participation in an October 10 demonstration at August Kranti Maidan in Mumbai. The protest, organized in solidarity with the Cockroach Janta Party, demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
To secure the stay, Khan submitted an unconditional apology and a formal legal undertaking on November 2, pledging to avoid future protests and refrain from influencing others to participate in such events. Khan maintained he visited the site only to witness the restriction of movement and had no intent to participate in the agitation. The FRRO had also issued a show-cause notice regarding the revocation of Khan's OCI status following a complaint by BJP leader Kirit Somaiya.
A division bench led by Chief Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi criticized Khan, ruling that OCI cardholders do not possess the fundamental right to protest and cannot behave like Indian citizens. While the government argued that Khan instigated others via social media, the court has stayed the deportation until December 7, pending a detailed reply from the Union Government.
