Zayn Marie Khan, cousin of actor Imran Khan, is under scrutiny over her Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) status after the Mumbai Police wrote to the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) to verify it.
“She was born in Mumbai but is a US OCI cardholder. The FRRO will check her OCI status,” a Mumbai Police officer reportedly said.
This comes two days after Imran Khan, a US citizen, tendered an unconditional apology to the Bombay High Court for participating in the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest against the Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, organised in early October.
Marie Khan, who is a US citizen, was also booked for taking part in the CJP-led protest, despite not having Indian citizenship. Both Imran Khan and Zayn Marie Khan had joined a protest organised by Tushar Gandhi’s Hum Bharat Ke Log organisation. Mumbai Police detained them at the protest site.
On October 14, 2026, Imran Khan was issued a ‘Leave India’ notice by the FRRO. He challenged the notice before the Bombay High Court, which ordered him to tender an unconditional apology. Khan tendered the apology and submitted an undertaking to never participate in any demonstration in the future. Subsequently, the High Court granted him interim relief by directing the FRRO to extend the duration of the Leave India notice issued to him.
However, the Court told the actor that he, being an OCI cardholder, cannot partake in protests in India and that the rights of OCI cardholders are not on par with Indian citizens. The Court observed that Khan had no locus standi to join the protest against the CEC and electoral roll updation carried out under the SIR, as he is not an Indian citizen. It added that the actor has no voting rights in India and cannot claim that any alleged irregularity in the SIR affected his rights.
Besides, the Court questioned Imran Khan’s motive behind his presence at the anti-SIR protests. Khan’s counsel submitted before the court that Khan had no association with the organisers of the anti-SIR protest and that he went to the protest site out of curiosity.
What did the actors do?
Imran Khan, along with his partner Lekha Washington and his cousin Zayne Marie Khan, went to Mumbai’s August Kranti Maidan on October 10, 2026, to protest against CEC Gyanesh Kumar. All three were detained by police during the protest and subsequently released. Subsequently, Imran Khan was issued a Leave India notice, and an FIR was lodged against Zayne Marie Khan.
