Imran Khan Calls OCI Notice Vague, Demands Evidence Before Reply

Imran Khan Calls OCI Notice Vague, Demands Evidence Before Reply

Actor Asks Immigration Office To Show Its Files

Bollywood actor Imran Khan has written to the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) seeking the documents and evidence behind its show-cause notice proposing to cancel his Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) status, saying he cannot answer the allegations without seeing the material the state relied on.

Two Notices In Three Days

The FRRO issued a Leave India Notice on October 14 directing Khan, a United States national, to leave the country by October 28, warning of removal proceedings. Three days later, on October 17, it issued a separate show-cause notice asking why his OCI registration should not be cancelled.

A Mumbai Protest Sparked The Case

The trigger was an October 10 gathering near August Kranti Maidan in Mumbai demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The demonstration, linked by officials to a stir organised by Tushar Gandhi of Hum Bharat Ke Log, had no police permission according to the notice, and a case of unlawful assembly was registered. Khan was briefly detained and taken to Yellow Gate Police Station with family members before being released.

The Legal Provisions Cited

The cancellation notice invokes Section 7D(e) of the Citizenship Act, 1955, which allows cancellation on grounds including the interests of sovereignty, security and the general public. The exit notice invokes provisions of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025. Khan's reply cites the statutory proviso, added in 2019, that no cancellation order may pass without a reasonable opportunity of being heard.

Reply Terms Grounds Nebulous And Contradictory

In his October 22 reply, sent through lawyer Zulfiquar Memon, Khan called the grounds nebulous and contradictory and alleged the authorities had formed a preliminary view in favour of cancellation. He said the Mumbai Police report cited by the FRRO was incomplete and asked for the full report with supporting evidence, arguing disclosure is required for an effective rebuttal.

Four Decades In India On An OCI Card

Khan, 43 and the nephew of filmmaker Aamir Khan, has held OCI status since 2006 and says he has lived in India since he was about two years old, citing his schooling, film career and family ties. He has asked the Bombay High Court for interim protection against removal, deportation, blacklisting or any step affecting his OCI registration while the case is pending.

High Court Freezes Exit Order Until November 2

The Bombay High Court on October 27 kept the Leave India Notice in abeyance until November 2. A bench of Chief Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi and Justice Advait Sethna acted after Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh assured the court that no coercive action would be taken meanwhile. The next hearing is on November 2.

What Comes Next Is A Test Of Procedure

The immediate question is whether the FRRO hands over the material it relied on, and how the court weighs a single protest appearance against stripping a decades-old OCI registration. Natural justice and proportionality are now the centre of the dispute.