Two days after the Bombay High Court adjourned hearing on actor Imran Khan's plea against a 'Leave India' notice, the US citizen has responded to a show-cause notice from the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO), Mumbai, seeking the material relied upon to initiate action against him.
Khan was issued a 'Leave India Notice' on October 14 over his alleged participation in a protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on October 10. The notice under the Immigration and Foreigners Act (IFA), 2025 cited a "purported contravention of uncited provisions of the IFA and the Rules and Orders".
The FRRO had issued two communications to the 43-year-old actor. First was a departure order asking him to leave India by October 28, and another was a show-cause notice on why his Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) registration should not be cancelled.
What Khan Said In His Reply
In his reply to the OCI show-cause notice, Khan sought access to all evidence and material relied upon by authorities, India Today reported.
He said, "Not only must the information forming the basis of the proposed action be disclosed to the person concerned, but the evidence and material relied upon by the State authorities in arriving at such a decision must also be furnished to enable the person concerned to effectively respond to and rebut the same."
Khan said some of the material relied upon by the Mumbai Police had not been fully given to him.
"I have not been supplied with such material, which includes but is not limited to reports submitted by the Mumbai Police in this regard," he stated.
He also said his version of events was not taken into account.
"The details of the FIR are not being reproduced herein in the interest of brevity, which already forms a part of your SCN [show-cause notice]. I firmly believe that my statement/version should have been incorporated in the report submitted by Mumbai Police to your office," he said.
He sought an opportunity to examine all material on which the FRRO formed its "provisional view" on cancelling his OCI registration.
"The foregoing request, together with the consequential disclosure and furnishing of the aforesaid material, would ensure that I am afforded a 'reasonable opportunity of being heard' in accordance with the statutory scheme of the Act," his response read.
Khan termed the grounds cited in the notice as "nebulous and contradictory" and said disclosure would ensure transparency, fairness and accountability under the Immigration and Foreigners Act.
High Court Adjourns Plea Till Nov 2
The Bombay High Court on Tuesday adjourned the hearing on Khan's plea challenging the 'Leave India' notice till November 2, after the Centre assured no coercive action would be taken till then.
The actor challenged the notice before the High Court, describing it as “arbitrary, unreasoned and wholly misconceived”. His plea argued that the order violated his fundamental rights under Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution, which guarantee equality before the law and the right to life and personal liberty, respectively.
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The notice was issued following a protest in Mumbai against the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, which Khan allegedly attended. However, Indian law restricts foreign nationals from participating in certain demonstrations.