The Bombay High Court on Tuesday kept in abeyance till November 2 an October 14 notice from the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) that had directed actor Imran Khan to leave India by October 28, Bar and Bench reported.

Source: Bar and Bench

A Division Bench of Chief Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi and Justice Advait Sethna adjourned the matter to November 2 at 3 pm after the Centre sought time to respond. The Additional Solicitor General assured the court that no coercive action would be taken against Khan till then. 'The order under challenge shall be kept in abeyance till the next date,' the court said.

Khan's counsel, Senior Advocate Venkatesh Dhond, had pointed out that under the FRRO directive his client was to leave the country the very next day. The ASG replied with an oral assurance: 'Nothing will happen.'

How the case began

Khan, a US citizen who holds an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card, petitioned the High Court on October 17 to quash the October 14 'Leave India Notice', and sought an interim stay on deportation, lookout notices and any interference with his OCI status, according to Bar and Bench.

The notice followed his brief police detention after he attended a protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, and a complaint by BJP leader Kirit Somaiya alleging public-order infractions. Khan has claimed in his petition that he had not participated in any gathering and had no association with the protest's organisers, Verdictum reported; he has also received a separate FRRO show-cause notice asking why his OCI status should not be revoked.

Source: Verdictum

The court's order is interim relief only — it pauses the notice, it does not decide the challenge. The petition will be heard on November 2.