Bombay HC tells Imran Khan to apologise over protest participation, says OCI holders lack right to protest

The Bombay High Court on Monday pulled up US citizen and actor Imran Khan an Overseas Citizen of India OCI cardholder for participating in a protest over the CECSIR issue saying the right to protest is available only to Indian citizens Khan agreed to tender an unconditional apologyA bench of Chief Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi and Justice Advait Sethna said OCI cardholders do not enjoy the same rights as Indian citizens As an OCI cardholder you are at the mercy of this country Such behaviour cannot be tolerated but one chance can be given the HC saidpopcorn numberOctober 28 descThe deadline previously given to Khan to leave India classDefaultThe Bombay High Court in Fort Representation picistockCitizenship suggestionQuestioning Khans participation in a protest over an issue concerning Indian citizens the bench said he had no connection with the SIR and suggested he take Indian citizenship if he wished to participate in protests It also noted that authorities had the power to deport himCourt remarksThe court raised a query on whether an Indian citizen would be permitted to join a similar protest abroad emphasising that certain ground realities must be factored inKhan is ready to tender an unconditional apology He has been in India since childhood Show some magnanimity and a big heart now We have to be Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam the world is one family the court saidApology soughtSenior counsel Venkatesh Dhond appearing for Khan offered an undertaking that the 43yearold actor would not participate in any future protest or instigate anyone to do soThe bench however said the undertaking alone would not suffice and asked Khan to tender an unconditional apology It also flagged his social media posts following his release from police detention saying his young followers could be influenced by themCase backgroundLegal grounds The Foreigners Regional Registration Office FRRO issued the lsquoLeave Indiarsquo order under Sections 72C and 29 of the Immigration and Foreigners Act granting the government powers to restrict foreign nationals and enforce removalDeadline Khan was ordered to leave the country by October 28 or face deportation proceedingsTrigger event The notice followed Khanrsquos brief police detention during an October 10 protest at Mumbairsquos August Kranti MaidanProtest context The rally supported the Cockroach Janta Party CJP in demanding CEC Kumarrsquos resignation over alleged voter roll SIR irregularitiesLawyer SpeakZulfiquar Memon Imran Khanrsquos legal counsellsquoToday the Honrsquoble Bombay High Court directed the State to file its reply and listed the matter for December 7 2026 Until then the Leave India Notice remains stayed The Honrsquoble Chief Justice has asked Mr Khan to submit an undertaking that as an OCI cardholder he will not participate in any future protest in any formHe has also been asked to tender an unconditional apology for anything he may have inadvertently said about the protests on social media or to the media Imran Khan has never participated in any antigovernment protest and has no intention of doing so in the future We are already ready with the undertakingThe court said that just the undertaking was not enough because there are certain posts and messages wherein he may have spoken about the protest inadvertently That is the word the court used So we maintain that we are very happy to provide an unconditional apology that inadvertently because of his celebrity status if he may have said something or posted something in the media which may have seemed to have gone against the government he is very happy to regrettably withdraw it and state an apology that he never meant to do thatWe maintain that Mr Khan has no intention of participating in any protest and has never been affiliated with or associated with any party agency or group conducting them An undertaking to this effect has already been placed on record The court appreciated the fact that Imran has spent 42 years in this country without any controversy His livelihood and everything else remain in IndiaWhether the Leave India Notice will be withdrawn will be decided after the undertaking and apology are submitted which we have agreed to do No date has been given for submitting the apology The undertaking has already been filed We will submit the apology once the FRROrsquos reply is receivedrsquo