Imran Khan tenders unconditional apology in HC over anti-SIR protest participation

NewsIndia NewsImran Khan tenders unconditional apology in HC over anti-SIR protest participation Imran Khan tenders unconditional apology in HC over anti-SIR protest participation Edited by Rohitashwa Ranjan / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Updated: Nov 02, 2026, 16:46 IST NEW DELHI: Actor Imran Khan on Monday tendered an unconditional apology after the Bombay high court reprimanded him for participating in a protest against the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls despite being a US citizen.A bench led by Chief Justice Mahesh Chandra questioned how the United States would have reacted if an Indian national had protested there."What for were you there?

There's a complete difference between the rights of citizens and OCI card holders... You need to clarify whether you were there for protests or for some other work. You will have to categorically make a statement that you had no association with the protests, etc.

Because the agitation was with regard to SIR, with which you have no concern at all," the court said. Watch Actor Imran Khan Asked To Leave India By Oct 28: Can An OCI Cardholder Be Deported For Protesting? "Obviously, because you aren't an Indian citizen...

Imagine if an Indian citizen does such protests in any other country, take, for example, your country - the US. That Indian citizen would have been sent back to the country on the next immediate flight," the court added.Following Khan's apology, the Bombay high court scheduled the next hearing for December 7 and kept the "Leave India" notice against him in abeyance until then.

The Bombay high court was hearing Khan's plea challenging a Leave India Notice (LIN) issued by the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO), directing him to leave India by October 28. The court had earlier kept the notice in abeyance until November 2 and has now extended the relief until December 7.Join conversation InsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig Development Should non-citizens be allowed to participate in protests in India?

Yes, they should have a voiceNo, it's not their countryOnly in certain casesUnsure Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app. Rohitashwa Ranjan is a digital journalist with The Times of India, where he decodes Indian politics as a carefully staged production with scripts, subtext and everything behind.

His stories track elections, party dynamics and the things that often are buried beneath the headlines. When not parsing vote shares or alliances, he is usually reading between the lines, where the real story tends to reside.

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