Court extends actor Imran Khan’s stay in India after he apologises for protesting

NEW DELHI: An Indian court allowed Bollywood actor Imran Khan to remain in the country until early next month after he apologised on Monday for taking part in a protest, local media reported, a move that had led the government to ask him to leave for breaching immigration laws.

Khan, 43, is a US citizen and was asked to leave the country by October 28 after he was accused of joining protests in Mumbai against the country’s election chief last month.

Last week, the Bombay High Court put the government order on hold until November 2 and extended it to December 7 on Monday.

The court said on Monday that Khan had “no right to protest or participate” in protests as he was a foreign national of Indian origin and was “not even remotely affected” by the revision of voter lists that has triggered nationwide protests, legal website LiveLaw reported.

The court sought an “unconditional apology” from Khan and directed him to give an undertaking that he will not participate in such protests again.

Khan’s lawyer said he would give the undertaking right away and also promised not to encourage or instigate others to participate in such protests, the LiveLaw said.

Under Indian law, the participation of foreigners in political protests can be treated as a violation of immigration and visa rules.

The court extended the suspension of the government order until the Foreigners Regional Registration Office, a federal agency responsible for tracking and monitoring foreign nationals in India, decides the case after hearing Khan, the report said.

A nephew of actor Aamir Khan, Imran belongs to a prominent film family. He acted in several hit Bollywood films from 2008 to 2015, before suddenly retiring.