Imran Khan OCI notice: the two powers India holds over OCI cardholders, explained
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The actor, a US citizen on an OCI card, has been told to leave by 28 October after a Mumbai protest. Leaving and losing the card are separate powers, and cancellations jumped to 57 in 2024.
Original report · Explained
Can OCI cardholders join protests in India? Actor Imran Khan's lawyers say nothing in Indian law or the OCI rules bars it, but the government has served him, a US citizen living in India on an OCI card, a notice to leave by 28 October 2026 after he attended one, a Mumbai Police official said (Variety, 2026; The Wire, 2026). That notice is a different power from cancelling an OCI card, which sits in Section 7D of the Citizenship Act, 1955 (Variety, 2026; The Wire, 2025).
Most reports covered the notice and the protest. Here is the law behind both powers, how often OCI cards have been cancelled, and the funding row that ran alongside.
A protest on 10 October, a deadline of 28 October
The Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) served the notice at Khan's home in Khar, Mumbai, according to a Mumbai Police official quoted in the reports (Variety, 2026; The Wire, 2026; American Bazaar, 2026).
It followed his attendance on 10 October at a protest at August Kranti Maidan, Mumbai, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, in solidarity with a Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest in Delhi. He was detained (Variety, 2026; American Bazaar, 2026). More than 400 people were detained in Mumbai that day, Variety reported, citing police (Variety, 2026).
Before his detention Khan said: "I am here as a citizen, as someone who lives in this city" (Variety, 2026).
The notice is one of two powers the government holds over OCI cardholders, and they work differently.
Two powers: a leave-India notice and an OCI cancellation
Being told to leave India is not the same as losing OCI status, Variety notes; stripping the card is a separate process (Variety, 2026).
- The notice: The Wire reports that the FRRO invoked Section 7, which restricts foreigners' presence, and Section 29, on removal, of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025. The Wire attributes this to reports, not to the notice itself, whose text is not public (The Wire, 2026).
- Cancellation: the power to cancel an OCI registration is in Section 7D of the Citizenship Act, 1955 (The Wire, 2025). No cancellation of Khan's card has been reported.
- A precedent: the Home Ministry earlier revoked the OCI of Kannada actor Chetan A Kumar over alleged "anti-India activities", Variety noted (Variety, 2026).
Section 7D has its own list of grounds, and a 2025 change added to it.
When an OCI card can be cancelled
A 2025 gazette notification under clause (da) of Section 7D says a registration is liable to cancellation if the holder is sentenced to at least two years in prison, or is charge-sheeted for an offence carrying seven years or more, The Wire reported (The Wire, 2025).
Cancellations rose sharply in 2024. The Wire reported, in August 2025, figures of 122 cancellations under Section 7D from 2014 to 2023, 57 in 2024, and 15 in 2025 up to 19 May (The Wire, 2025). That is about 12 a year over the first ten years (122 ÷ 10), so 2024 alone had more than four times the earlier yearly average.
OCI holders are not Indian citizens and cannot vote or contest elections (American Bazaar, 2026). None of the reports we read says whether any charge sheet has been filed against Khan.
The complaint against him came from a BJP leader, and it named both laws.
The FIR and the complaint
Gamdevi police filed FIR No. 813 of 2026, which names Khan among the accused, after BJP leader Kirit Somaiya complained that his presence broke the terms of his OCI status and visa (Variety, 2026; Odisha Bytes, 2026).
On 13 October Somaiya wrote to Home Secretary Govind Mohan seeking a Look Out Circular against Khan. He asked the ministry to examine action under Section 7D and the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025 (Odisha Bytes, 2026). Whether the circular was issued has not been reported.
Khan's lawyers, MZM Legal LLP, plan a Bombay High Court petition, possibly as early as Friday 16 October. They argue that nothing in Indian law or the OCI rules bars a cardholder from attending a protest (Variety, 2026; American Bazaar, 2026).
The same protests produced a second dispute over foreign involvement, this one about money.
The Millben–Dipke funding row
On 14 October US singer Mary Millben alleged on X that the CJP and its founder Abhijeet Dipke are funded by US donors (The Hindu, 2026; Mint, 2026). The posts reported give no evidence for the claim. Dipke replied: "Who gave foreign nationals the right to interfere in India's internal affairs?" (The Hindu, 2026).
Dipke said his US education was paid for by a Boston University scholarship and an educational loan, and called the claim baseless, Mint reported (Mint, 2026). He also posted that Millben, an American, can back the BJP while Khan, an OCI cardholder, cannot speak against it (The Wire, 2026).
Questions people are asking
Can an OCI cardholder be asked to leave India?
The government has done so in Khan's case, reportedly under the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025. His lawyers say no rule bars OCI holders from protesting (Variety, 2026; The Wire, 2026).
When can an OCI card be cancelled?
Under Section 7D of the Citizenship Act, including for a prison sentence of two years or more, or a charge sheet for an offence carrying seven years or more (The Wire, 2025).
What is Imran Khan's deadline?
28 October 2026 (The Wire, 2026).
Can OCI holders vote in India?
No. They are not Indian citizens, so they cannot vote or contest elections (American Bazaar, 2026).
What happens next
Khan's lawyers expect to petition the Bombay High Court, possibly from Friday 16 October. The notice gives him until 28 October to leave (Variety, 2026; The Wire, 2026).
References
- Chowdhury, S. (2026) American actor Imran Khan given October 28 deadline to leave India. American Bazaar. Available at: American actor Imran Khan given October 28 deadline to leave India (Accessed: 15 October 2026).
- Mint (2026) US singer Mary Millben targets Abhijeet Dipke again. Mint. Available at: US singer Mary Millben targets Abhijeet Dipke again (Accessed: 15 October 2026).
- Odisha Bytes (2026) BJP Leader Seeks Look Out Circular Against Actor Imran Khan Amid CJP Protests. Odisha Bytes. Available at: BJP Leader Seeks Look Out Circular Against Actor Imran Khan Amid CJP Protests (Accessed: 15 October 2026).
- Ramachandran, N. (2026) Bollywood Actor Imran Khan to Fight Order to Leave India in High Court. Variety. Available at: Bollywood Actor Imran Khan to Fight Order to Leave India in High Court (Accessed: 15 October 2026).
- The Hindu (2026) Who is Mary Millben, the American singer who traded barbs with Abhijeet Dipke over CJP funding claims? The Hindu. Available at: Who is Mary Millben, the American singer who traded barbs with Abhijeet Dipke over CJP funding claims? (Accessed: 15 October 2026).
- The Wire Staff (2025) OCI Card Can be Cancelled If Holder is Convicted or Charged For 'Serious' Offences: MHA. The Wire. Available at: OCI Card Can be Cancelled If Holder is Convicted or Charged For 'Serious' Offences: MHA (Accessed: 15 October 2026).
- The Wire Staff (2026) Government Tells Actor Imran Khan to Leave Country After Participation in Protests. The Wire. Available at: Government Tells Actor Imran Khan to Leave Country After Participation in Protests (Accessed: 15 October 2026).
How we did this
We compared reports on the notice from The Wire, Variety and American Bazaar, and on the funding row from The Hindu and Mint, published after the 10 October protest. They covered the notice, the deadline and the dispute; none set out the Section 7D cancellation grounds or how often cards have been cancelled. We added those from The Wire's August 2025 report on the gazette notification, separated the leave-India notice from cancellation as two powers, and built one timeline from the protest to the deadline. We did not see the notice itself.
This story was produced, reviewed, edited and verified by the reporter before publication, with AI assistance where required.
Covered by 18 outlets across the spectrum: 28% left, 44% center, 28% right.
Who is covering this story
- Left-leaning (3): The Wire, The Hindu, The New Indian Express
- Center (8): Mint, Odisha Bytes, American Bazaar, Variety, ABP Live English, Hindustan Times, Tribune India, Bollywood Hungama
- Right-leaning (3): India Today, Times Now, Deccan Chronicle
Sources
- OCI Card Can be Cancelled If Holder is Convicted or Charged For — The Wire (left-leaning) ·
- US singer Mary Millben targets Abhijeet Dipke again; says PM Modi doesn't need US support, predicts 2029 win | Today News — Mint (center) ·
- BJP Leader Seeks Look Out Circular Against Actor Imran Khan Amid CJP Protests | OdishaBytes — Odisha Bytes (center) ·
- American actor Imran Khan given October 28 deadline to leave India — American Bazaar (center) ·
- Bollywood Actor Imran Khan to Fight Order to Leave India in High Court — Variety (center, AI-estimated) ·
- Who is Mary Millben, the American singer who traded barbs with Abhijeet Dipke over CJP funding claims? — The Hindu (left-leaning) ·
- Imran Khan Moves Bombay High Court Against Notice To Leave India By October 28 — ABP Live English (center) ·
- Actor Imran Khan Moves Bombay HC Over FRRO Notice To Leave India by October 28 — India Today (right-leaning) ·
- Imran Khan moves Bombay HC against 'leave India' notice, calls it ‘illegal, perverse, drastic’ — Hindustan Times (center) ·
- Actor Imran Khan moves Bombay High Court against order to leave country — Tribune India (center) ·
- 'Illegal, unreasonable': Imran Khan moves Bombay HC against notice directing him to leave India by October 28 — The New Indian Express (left-leaning) ·
- Actor Imran Khan moves Bombay HC against ‘arbitrary, illegal’ notice to leave India — The Hindu (left-leaning) ·
- Imran Khan Files Petition In Bombay High Court Against 'Leave India' Notice; Know More — Times Now (right-leaning) ·
- Imran Challenges ‘Leave India’ Notice — Deccan Chronicle (right-leaning) ·
- Bombay HC to hear on October 26 plea filed by actor Imran Khan against 'Leave India' order — The New Indian Express (left-leaning) ·
- Imran Khan challenges 'Leave India' notice, court to hear plea on Oct 26 — India Today (right-leaning) ·
- Imran Khan faces second FRRO notice as authorities initiate proceedings to revoke his OCI status — Bollywood Hungama (center) ·
- Lekha Washington Cryptically Reacts To Trolls Calling Imran Khan 'Not Even Indian Citizen' — Times Now (right-leaning) ·