Actor Imran Khan has been ordered by immigration authorities to leave India by October 28 following his participation in a protest in Mumbai earlier this month — a dramatic development that has turned the spotlight on the intersection of celebrity, dissent and immigration law. His partner, actor Lekha Washington, has now broken her silence with an emotional first reaction, standing firmly by his side.
Khan, the Bollywood actor known for films such as Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na, is an American citizen and holds an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card. On October 10, he joined a demonstration at Mumbai's August Kranti Maidan organised around the Cockroach Janta Party's campaign seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Khan was accompanied by Washington and his cousin, actor Zayn Marie Khan. All three were detained by police and released later that night.
The detention itself became a talking point after Washington gave a detailed account on social media of what she described as a chaotic and bruising encounter. According to her post, the group had walked toward August Kranti Maidan at around 5 pm on Saturday to inquire about friends who had been detained. "There was no gathering happening. The police had barricades on all sides, and there was a considerable media presence, who swarmed Imran," she wrote. She said Khan briefly spoke to reporters, telling them: "We have no demands, we are not part of an organisation, we are just individuals." Before he could finish, she claimed, loud and incessant whistle-blowing disrupted the interaction, and "a stream of uniformed persons grabbed both Zayn and me, bruising us." The group was forced into a vehicle, driven around for a couple of hours, and then not allowed to take public transport, she alleged.
The matter escalated sharply this week. On October 15, Khan received a notice from the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) directing him to leave India by October 28. Action has been initiated against the actor under Sections 7 and 29 of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, on the ground that he allegedly participated in a political protest despite not being an Indian citizen. The development followed a move by BJP leader and former MP Kirit Somaiya, who on October 13 approached the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and immigration authorities urging them to issue a Look Out Circular (LOC) against the actor.
It was after the "Leave India" notice that Washington shared her first public reaction. She posted a photograph of herself with Khan taken inside the police detention van on October 10, captioning it simply with the word "Just" followed by a string of heart emojis — a quiet but pointed declaration of solidarity. Zayn Marie Khan responded to the post with heart emojis of her own. Filmmaker Kiran Rao and actor Saba Azad were among those who reacted to the development, signalling support from within the film fraternity.
Khan himself has not yet spoken publicly about the notice. He is, however, preparing a legal fight. The actor is considering approaching the Bombay High Court with a writ petition challenging the FRRO notice, and has engaged the law firm MZM Legal LLP to represent him. Zulfiqar Memon, the firm's managing partner, was contacted for comment but declined to speak at this stage. With a court petition expected shortly, the case is set to test the limits of free speech and immigration law as they apply to foreign nationals participating in domestic political protests in India.
The legal questions at stake are genuinely complex. OCI cardholders enjoy long-term visa-free travel and many rights, but Indian law draws lines around political activity by foreigners. The Immigration and Foreigners Act empowers authorities to act against foreign nationals whose activities are deemed undesirable, and participation in political demonstrations has historically been treated as a red line for those on foreign passports. Khan's legal team is expected to argue that his presence was peaceful, that he made no demands and claimed no organisational affiliation, and that the FRRO's order is disproportionate.
The political backdrop adds another layer. The CJP's anti-CEC campaign has become one of the most contentious agitations in recent months, drawing massive security deployments in Delhi and detentions in multiple cities. That a Bollywood actor's brief appearance at the Mumbai leg of the protest has led to a deportation-order-style notice has amplified the sense that the state is treating the agitation with exceptional seriousness — and raised questions about whether the response is proportionate.
For Khan, the episode marks an extraordinary turn in a career already marked by reinvention. The nephew of superstar Aamir Khan, he began as a child artist in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988) and Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar (1992), then broke through as a leading man with the 2008 hit Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na. After a string of successes followed by box-office disappointments, he stepped away from the spotlight for a prolonged hiatus, returning recently with a cameo in Happy Patel: Khatarnak Jasoos. His re-emergence in public life has now collided, unexpectedly, with one of the country's most polarising political controversies.
Washington, meanwhile, has struck a notably balanced tone. Even as she alleged rough treatment during the detention, she wrote appreciatively of the Mumbai police, calling the force "a beacon of balance" in her personal experience and saying she believed in "equality and respect for all". Her message — that "at some point we must collectively find our voices to speak the truth" — has been widely shared.
As the October 28 deadline approaches, the key question is whether the Bombay High Court will intervene. If Khan's petition is admitted and interim relief granted, the notice could be stayed pending a full hearing. If not, one of Bollywood's most recognisable faces could find himself compelled to leave the country where he built his career — over a few hours at a protest maidan. Either way, the case is poised to become a landmark reference point in the debate over how India treats dissent by those who live here but hold foreign passports.
(Reporting based on NDTV, Times Now, Yes Punjab News and The Times of India.)