The State Department does a turnaround finally.
By Sujeet Rajan & Deepak Chitnis
NEW YORK/WASHINGTON, DC: The US did a turnabout and gave full diplomatic immunity to India’s Deputy Consul General at the Indian Consulate in New York, Devyani Khobragade, who contrary to reports, has not left the country but is in New York City with her family.
Khobragade’s lawyer said in a statement that contrary to the reports floating around, including by the US Attorney General for the southern District of New York Preet Bharara, that she has left the country, is still within the country. He did not say whether she plans to continue working at the United Nations, where she is currently posted as a representative to India.
Khobragade was set to appear in court this coming Monday, January 13. Yesterday, a US District Court judge blocked a petition filed by Khobragade’s lawyer to postpone her court appearance – at which she’ll likely be formally charged by the US government – to February 12, in order to allow the Indian and US sides more time to negotiate a plea settlement and improve the drastically strained ties between them.
Earlier today, the US Attorney General for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara said that Khobragade will be “unavailable” for trial, that she’s left the country. Khobragade was formally indicted by a grand jury, says Bharara, but she would not be charged or sentenced until she comes back to the US without immunity.
The turnaround in the case is a major embarrassment for Bharara, who will feel let down by the State Department.
Khobragade was arrested on December 12, and her subsequent treatment including a strip search, has led to a fiasco between the US and India. Reports of Khobragade being strip-searched riled the Indian government, which has placed sanctions of its own on US diplomas stationed in New Delhi. The US State Department has maintained that it treated Khobragade fairly and respectfully.
The turnaround in the US’s stance is likely a result of the meeting that Secretary of State John Kerry had with President Barack Obama at the White House yesterday evening.
To contact the author, email to sujeetrajan@americanbazaaronline.com