An arrest warrant was on Saturday issued in the US against Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade on visa fraud charges after her fresh indictment by US prosecutors, who accused her of “illegally” underpaying and “exploiting” her domestic maid.
The fresh arrest warrant means Khobragade won’t be able to travel to US on an ordinary passport. If she goes there on official work, she will be on a diplomatic passport which will give her immunity from arrest, according to an official.
After Khobragade’s second indictment by a New York jury, India expressed disappointment, noting that any consequent action will impact bilateral ties and that the government will “no longer engage” with the US legal system in the case.
“We are disappointed that the... US Department of Justice chose to obtain a second indictment against IFS officer Dr Devyani Khobragade, despite the fact that the first indictment and arrest warrant were dismissed earlier this week,” said MEA spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin.
Following the second indictment, Akbaruddin said, “This was an unnecessary step. Any measures consequent to this decision in the US, will unfortunately impact efforts on both sides to build the Indo-US strategic partnership.”
He added that since India has argued that the case against Khobragade had
no merit, the second indictment had no impact on her official position.