Bombay HC Puts Imran Khan's 'Leave India' Notice on Hold Until Nov. 2

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday, Oct. 27, kept in abeyance a "Leave India Notice" that directed actor Imran Khan, a U.S. citizen and Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholder, to leave the country by Oct. 28, allowing him to remain in India at least until the next hearing on Monday, Nov. 2, according to The Hindu and LiveLaw. The notice was issued on Oct. 14 by the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) in Mumbai.

A division bench of Chief Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi and Justice Advait Sethna adjourned Khan's petition after Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, appearing for the Centre, sought more time and assured the court that no coercive action would be taken against the actor before the next date, CNBC-TV18 reported in a Press Trust of India story. The Hindu reported that the matter will be taken up at 3 p.m. on Monday.

What happened in court

Singh asked the bench to defer the hearing because Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who was to represent the FRRO, could not join, according to LiveLaw. The Indian Express reported that Mehta was occupied before the Supreme Court in another matter. Khan's counsel, senior advocate Venkatesh Dhond, pointed out that the notice required his client to leave India the following day. "Milords, we are giving assurance as we are only seeking time till Monday," Singh told the court, LiveLaw reported.

According to LiveLaw, the bench recorded in its order that the Oct. 14 notice "will be kept in abeyance, until the adjourned date of hearing i.e., November 2, 2026." The Times of India reported that the order noted Dhond had "fairly" not opposed the request for an adjournment.

The Times of India reported that lawyer Sunil Kumar, represented by advocate Subhash Jha, argued that the FRRO notice falls under criminal jurisdiction and that Khan's civil petition therefore could not be heard. Dhond questioned the intervener's standing and called him a "third party bystander," The Indian Express reported. The newspaper said the bench orally observed that the matter arose out of a "civil consequence" and that it "did not see a criminality attached to it."

Why the notice was issued

The notice followed Khan's alleged participation in an Oct. 10 demonstration at August Kranti Maidan in Mumbai, held in solidarity with a Cockroach Janta Party agitation in Delhi demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, according to CNBC-TV18 and The Times of India. The Indian Express reported that BJP leader Kirit Somaiya filed a complaint alleging that Khan had violated the law by taking part in the protest, and that the FRRO then issued the notice for an alleged violation of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025. The PTI report carried by CNBC-TV18 said the order was issued under Sections 7(2)(C) and 29 of that law, and that deportation proceedings would follow if Khan did not leave by the deadline.

Khan was detained by Mumbai Police at the protest site on Oct. 10 along with his partner, actor Lekha Washington, and his cousin, actor Zayn Marie Khan, and the three were released hours later, The Indian Express reported. Before the detention, Khan told reporters, "I don't have demands. I am here as a citizen, as a person who lives in this city. I am here to see why freedom of movement is being restricted. Why are people's voices being suppressed? That is why I am here," according to a Times of India report citing ANI. He later posted a photo from inside a police van with the caption "Apparently I'm going for a drive." Mumbai Police said more than 400 people were detained at August Kranti Maidan that day, the Times of India reported, citing ANI.

What Khan's petition argues

Khan moved the High Court on Oct. 17 and challenged the action as "unconstitutional, manifestly arbitrary and disproportionate," The Indian Express reported. The petition argued that the FRRO had acted "at the behest of and on the timetable of a political functionary who holds office under the IFA," according to the newspaper. He has also received a separate FRRO show-cause notice asking why his OCI status should not be revoked, CNBC-TV18 reported.

In the petition, filed through advocate Zulfiquar Memon and MZM Legal, Khan said he had not participated in the gathering and had no association with its organisers, according to the PTI report. The petition called the notice "illegal, arbitrary, perverse and drastic" and said it reflected "patent non-application of mind and the arbitrary targeting" of a public figure. The Times of India reported that the plea said Khan was merely "curious" when he passed by and saw the crowd, and that he left immediately when police asked him to. The Hindu reported that he also challenged the notice because he was not allowed to be heard.

Khan was born in the United States and has lived in India for almost 42 years, since the age of two, the Times of India reported. He is the nephew of actor Aamir Khan, according to the PTI report, and made his film debut in the 2008 romantic comedy "Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na," as noted by The Indian Express. Bar and Bench listed the case as Imran Khan Pal v. Union of India & Ors.

On screen, Khan made a cameo in "Happy Patel: Khatarnak Jasoos," which was released in theaters on Jan. 16, 2026, and is reported to be part of the Netflix romantic comedy "Adhure Hum Adhure Tum" with Bhumi Pednekar, which he has said is targeting a Dec. 18, 2026 release, according to the Times of India. The High Court is scheduled to resume hearing his petition on Nov. 2.