Imran Khan to Fight Order to Leave India After Mumbai Protest
Bollywood actor Imran Khan is preparing a court challenge to an order that gives him until Oct. 28 to leave India after he joined a street protest in Mumbai, Variety reported. The petition calls the notice "drastic" and could reach the Bombay High Court as early as Friday.
Khan is an American citizen who lives in India on an Overseas Citizen of India card, a long-term immigration status for people of Indian origin. He is the nephew of Bollywood star Aamir Khan. He led the 2008 romance "Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na," produced by his uncle, and later starred in "Delhi Belly," "Mere Brother Ki Dulhan" and "I Hate Luv Storys."
The dispute traces to Oct. 10. Police detained more than 400 people across Mumbai, many at August Kranti Maidan, in solidarity with a protest in Delhi organised by the Cockroach Janata Party. Khan was among those held at the Mumbai ground, the BBC reported.
The Delhi action demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. At issue are claims that voter lists were manipulated during the Special Intensive Revision, a nationwide check of electoral rolls.
After the Mumbai detentions, Gamdevi police filed a First Information Report, the written complaint that formally opens a police case in India, naming Khan among the accused. Officers also briefly detained his girlfriend, actor Lekha Washington, and his cousin Zayn Marie Khan. The Foreigners Regional Registration Office, the agency that tracks foreign nationals, then delivered a Leave India notice to Khan's home in Khar, Mumbai.
Authorities said Khan breached immigration rules by joining the protest, according to The Daily Star. The order cited two legal provisions, NDTV reported. Former lawmaker Kirit Somaiya had complained that Khan's presence at the demonstration violated his OCI conditions, a complaint police passed to the registration office.
Khan's lawyers, Zulfiquar Memon, Parvez Memon and Chirag Naik of MZM Legal LLP, will argue that no Indian law or OCI rule bars a cardholder from attending a protest. Separately, Somaiya wrote to Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan on Oct. 13 seeking a Look Out Circular, an airport alert that would flag Khan if he tried to leave the country.
The case recalls that of Kannada-language film actor Chetan A Kumar, a fellow US citizen whose OCI card was revoked by the Home Ministry. Officials cited what they termed "anti-India activities" in that earlier action.
For audiences, the timing matters. Khan stepped back from acting for several years and is listed for a comeback in "Adhure Hum Adhure Tum." His next appearance on screen may now depend on his next appearance in court.
