The Bombay High Court on Monday, October 26, deferred the hearing on actor Imran Khan’s petition challenging a Mumbai police notice that directs him to leave India by Wednesday, October 28. The court rescheduled the matter for Tuesday, October 27, after lawyers for the actor and the government asked for more time.
A division bench of Chief Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi and Justice Advait Sethna heard the plea. Senior advocate Venkatesh Dhond, appearing for Khan, and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Union government, asked the court to list the case for Tuesday. The bench accepted the request.
Mumbai Police issued the notice after Khan, 43, was briefly detained on October 10 during a rally at Mumbai’s August Kranti Maidan. The demonstration was held in solidarity with protests by the Cockroach Janta Party in Delhi. The protesters demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The notice directs Khan to leave the country by Oct. 28 or face deportation. Authorities invoked Sections 7(2)(C) and 29 of the Immigration and Foreigners Act. These provisions empower the government to restrict the movement of foreign nationals or order their mandatory removal on security or legal grounds.
Khan, a nephew of Bollywood star Aamir Khan, filed his petition through advocate Zulfikar Memon and law firm MZM Legal. The plea calls the notice “illegal, arbitrary, perverse, and drastic.” It argues that the authorities did not apply their minds to the matter and that the order unfairly targets him because he is a public figure. The petition also says that if the notice is carried out, it would undermine the principles of natural justice that authorities are bound to uphold.
Khan has maintained that he did not take part in the gathering and has no affiliation or connection with the protest organisers.
Khan has also received a show-cause notice from the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO). It asks why his Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card should not be revoked.
In his petition, Khan has sought to have the police notice quashed. He has also asked for an immediate stay on its operation until the case is finally decided, and for interim protection against any coercive action by the authorities.