MUMBAI: Actor Imran Khan will move Bombay high court challenging a Mumbai Police order directing him to leave India by October 28 for allegedly violating the Foreigners Act and related rules, his advocate Parvez Memon said.Khan is being represented by advocates Zulfiquar Memon, Parvez Memon and Chirag Naik from MZM Legal LLP.Memon said they would challenge the order on Friday.“Rules do not prohibit OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) cardholders from participating in a protest”, Memon added further.Khan, an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholder, was served the order after BJP leader Kirit Somaiya sought action against him over his participation in a protest in Mumbai on Saturday in support of the Cockroach Janata Party.Also read: Imran Khan told to leave India: What rights do OCI cardholders have?Somaiya visited Gamdevi police station on Monday and submitted an application seeking action against the actor. The police subsequently forwarded the application to the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) for further action.
(Image Credit: Sanjay Hadkar) Actor Imran Khan’s residence in a building in Bandra, Mumbai.
“Imran Khan staying in India for the last couple of days is showing extremism, fanaticism… Indians cannot tolerate it. Khan is a foreign citizen and hence he cannot protest,” Somaiya said.A senior official confirmed that the actor had been directed to leave the country.“Imran Khan is indeed a foreign national. The competent authority has found that he is a foreign national and has violated the Foreigners Act and the Foreigners Rules. He has therefore been served an order to leave India by October 28,” the official said on condition of anonymity.Somaiya has also written to Mumbai Police seeking Khan’s detention and deportation, alleging that his participation in the demonstration violated the rules governing OCI cardholders and the conditions of his visa. In a social media post, Somaiya said he had also lodged a complaint with the FRRO’s Immigration Division at Mumbai airport.OCI cardholders are foreign nationals who enjoy certain privileges in India, including a lifelong, multiple-entry visa, subject to applicable rules. They are also entitled to specified benefits relating to education, property ownership and certain professional activities.