Khobragade could be in trouble for TV interview


New Delhi, Oct 14 (PTI) :  Diplomat Devyani Khobragade, who had hit the headlines last year after she was arrested in the US in a visa fraud case, could be in trouble for a TV interview during which she talked about the incident and that things have not moved much since then.

Khobragade, a Director-level officer in the MEA headquarters here after her return in January said in the interview, "Things haven't moved as such, but I am hopeful that specially this government will take it up positively because this is not just my matter, it's about having a special judicial process against a diplomat."

Asked about her conduct in going to the media, the MEA Spokesperson said the views expressed by Khobragade were her own. On whether she had sought permission for the interview and if the MEA had given the permission, he said, "No on both accounts."

Sources said she could get a "rap on the knuckles" even as the ministry was examining other aspects of her case in the US.

Khobragade, former Deputy Consul General of India in New York, was arrested in the US on charges of making false declarations in a visa application for her maid and released on a USD 250,000 bond.

The issue had escalated into a full-blown diplomatic spat between the US and India, which retaliated by downgrading privileges of certain category of US diplomats among other steps.

On whether India was still pursuing the case with the US, the Spokesperson said, "...The issue that concerns us is not merely -one that executives or administrative authorities can decide. It is an issue which has legal and judicial dimensions.

"And we have indicated that we will work through these. These are issues which take time and patients is required. If your question is whether the government of India is working on this, my answer is yes, it is working on it."

  

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  • Harold, Mumbai

    Wed, Oct 29 2014

    I just read the complete US court indictment on Ms. Devyani and understand that she or the lawyer representing her have never submitted their case against this court indictment and agreed to appear before court to testify.
    The matter is simple and does not require rocket science for anyone to understand. Let us once take it for granted that Ms. Devyani did nothing wrong and paid exactly what she wrote on the contract that she submitted to US visa office for the maid’s interview, what has she got to lose? She can show them a copy of the visa contract and the salary check she paid or deposited to maid from her account. It is very simple to do this. If the maid is indeed guilty of fraud and claiming that she was underpaid, the maid will have to show the payment made to her by Devyani. There is no way some one can lie and get away. The bank statements and payment checks will speak the truth as to who is at fault. The prima facia fact is that Ms. Devyani was caught by US prosecutors of committing visa fraud by creating a forgery document of the original visa contract that she gave to maid and maid had a copy of that paper. Creating a forgery document for US visa interview is tantamount to a great crime and punishable in any country. Moreover brining a maid to US under a forgered document is punishable under illegal human trafficking, and US catches many Chinese and Mexican people every year in this area. So Ms Devyani has been caught red handed and that is why she and her father were trying to bring pressure on maid’s husband and her family members in Goa, India. The US government brought her husband to US to stand trial in this case as witnesses of actual money received by maid in her Indian account. Ms Devyani and her lawyer knew that with so much of facts and documents she did not stand a chance in the court so somehow under the pretext of a false immunity they managed to get her to India just a few days before her court trial date.

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  • John Alva, Udupi

    Wed, Oct 29 2014

    If Devyani has been tortured by US as she claims now, first of all why does she want to go back to US now?
    Secondly, if she was that confident of not committing any mistakes or frauds in visa case or underpaying the maid, why did not she attend the court on the stipulated date and fight her case? I believe she had a lawyer representing her case in USA. How can she expect government to intervene to the charges against her which she claims as not been committed? If so, why should the charges be ped and why can't she fight the case? Even now, she can go back to US to present her case and why is she not going? So what does this tell us folks?

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  • Ramesh, NY, USA

    Mon, Oct 27 2014

    After the episode, a few hidden things have come out -
    1. The IPS 1999 batch episode, due to her Dad's political influence when Devyani got preferential treatment bypassing seniors 2 level above.
    2. Enjoying best of both US and India, by illegally maintaining her husband's US citizenship even after 8 years of marriage when Indian law requires the spouses of diplomats to obtain Indian citizenship with a year.
    3. Illegally obtaining Indian passports for both of her US born children who had US passports.
    4. Creating forgery employment cotracts, one for the US visa office and one for the maid.
    5. Over working the maid and keeping the maid's passport with her.
    6. Using Dad's influence to terrorize her family in India to force the maid to the case against her.
    7. Trying to seek permanent residency in US based on her husband's citizenship status and then planning to resign from Indian job and settle down in US.
    8. Buying numerous and expensive properties all over India while claiming that she could not afford to pay more than 25,000 Rs per month to the maid.
    9. Using her Dad's political influence to buy flats in Adarsh society, while she had already got the government quota allottment of one flat in Andheri and another one somewhere in Bombay.
    And many more that are slowly emerging.

    So the best advise for her is to keep quiet and chew the bullet, otherwise she will get caught in her own web and won't be far from getting jailed in India.

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  • Joseph D'Souza, Mangalore

    Sun, Oct 26 2014

    No, you cannot give an TV channel interview on your own when you are a government servant in India. You need to seek the permission first and then the permission needs to be granted second before going ahead with any type of interview, whether personal or official. In Khobragade case, the case had already become official since she came back to India under immunity provided by government and the MEA issued strict warnings to her not to open up her mouth to media while they are working with foreign diplomats on her case. She again violated all the rules by not only speaking to the media but also blaming US government while the repair for the damage done by her earlier was in the damage control process. I think she not only ruined it but completely lost any chance of pursuing this case by MEA. She has gone beyond control and I am sure MEA would punish her on many counts.

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  • Jacobkumar, Udupi/Mumbai

    Thu, Oct 23 2014

    Friends,
    Let us use our heads instead of heart and not get emotional. While I sympathise for what Devyani is going through due to separation from husband and children, it is a fact that it is the result of her own doings. The facts of the case are available on the indictment issued to her. She was notified by US court in advance to respond to charges before her arrest that she did not comply. She was only arrested after the notice period. The indictment issued has four parts, first committing visa fraud by doing forgery of maid’s Visa documents, creating another contract not shown to Visa office where she changed the salary and benefits showing Rs. 25,000 as the salary per month as against the original $4500 per month, second not paying the quoted salary on the Visa documents and over working the maid, and third lying under oath to NY district magistrate when arrested. Everything else that happened, including strip search is usual procedure as applicable to anyone caught under the crimes which is done on all irrespective of your level or position before putting in jail. She should not cry wolf now after the episode. She was given a fair chance to have a lawyer and prove her innocence in court that she did not do and came running back to India under cover of a false immunity that was managed by Govt of India to protect her.
    Apart from this, it is well known that she is involved in various crimes such as having dual passports for her children who are US born which is illegal, not changing her husband’s US citizenship to Indian even after 8 years of marriage as needed for Indian ambassador spouses, obtaining illegal allotment of flats under Adarsh scheme, using her fraud father’s influence to terrorize maid’s husband in Goa etc. etc.
    So the moral of the story is that once caught, you cannot get away with the crime you have committed in US. Of course, there could be bigger culprits than her, but until they are caught, they can enjoy while it lasts.

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  • John Tauro , M'lore / Kuwait

    Wed, Oct 15 2014

    The true and real pain of living far away from family is experienced by ordinary workers. Diplomats like Mrs. Khobragade are entitled to take their families wherever they are posted in addition to all the available facilities in the host country as well as home country.

    DisAgree Agree [12] Reply Report Abuse

  • Ranjith, Udupi

    Wed, Oct 15 2014

    If Khobragade claims to be innocent, and that her maid was harrassing her to apply for US Green Card, then why did she claim diplomatic immunity and left the US? She could have cleared her name of false charges and then left the US! This Khobragade is another FEKU, who did not want to pay her maid the minimum US wage, and instead made her work for long hours for pittance salary. And then she has the audacity to lie on TV interview that she did nothing wrong...Typical Indian mentality of taking advantage of the poor and powerless, esp. in a foreign country.

    DisAgree [6] Agree [24] Reply Report Abuse

  • Naveen Shetty, Mangalore

    Wed, Oct 15 2014

    BJP is altogether different animal when they are in power. Look what 56" inch and his party was saying when this case was going on and see their actions now. It is looking like India is desperate to get funds from countries like US, Japan and China.

    DisAgree [13] Agree [14] Reply Report Abuse

  • Jossey Saldanha, Mumbai

    Wed, Oct 15 2014

    56 " IS DEFLATED AND CANNOT PROTECT HER...

    DisAgree [13] Agree [16] Reply Report Abuse

  • Stan, Udupi/ Dubai

    Wed, Oct 15 2014

    What is wrong in giving a TV interview.She has given an honest interview, much better than politicians fake interviews which are full of lives. We should understand her pain of living far away from family and a case which is moving at snails phase. Well done maam.

    DisAgree [21] Agree [7] Reply Report Abuse

  • ca girishkk, m'lore/dxb

    Wed, Oct 15 2014

    Let us see whether there is any substance in our 56" chest PM NAMO's foreign policy which can bring justice to Kobragade (specially taking cognizance of the Rock Star fame Madison Square programme).

    DisAgree [10] Agree [13] Reply Report Abuse

  • Krishna, karkala

    Thu, Oct 16 2014

    Khobragade is a biggest fraud.
    She deserved the wa y she got treated in US.
    She is involved in Adarsh scam,
    Her two US born kids also hold Indian passport.

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  • Antony Fernandes, Mangalore/USA

    Wed, Oct 15 2014

    Being a Diplomat can Khobragade prove to the world that she has not done anything wrong? This type of offences are very common or everybody is doing in India for a housemaid. Here you can not show something on the paper and give something. I remember few years back an Indian family was harassing their 2 housemaids, these maids sue them and the couple found guilty and gone to jail for approximately 5 years for husband and 11 years for wife, also a big amount of compensation to the maids.

    DisAgree [1] Agree [12] Reply Report Abuse

  • Dev, Mangalore

    Wed, Oct 15 2014

    In the first place U S law enforcement wing acted like a bully we see commonly now on their roads killing unarmed civilians, they subject suspects with tazer shocks while one got killed by their excesses.
    They think they can BULLY anyone.
    Khobragade had immunity from the beginning, despite that she was handcuffed, cavity searched like common criminals.
    Their courts too found she had immunity at the time of arrest. She was forced to leave US & again she was charged. This shows US State Department's involvement in this Fake Case.
    They first spirited away the family of maid & then filed the case while case of absconding maid was pending in Delhi Court.
    Its Common for many people to travel to US & disappear & file these cases to get US Visa & citizenship later by concocting stories.
    Why the maid had no issues when she was in Turkey with the Diplomat?
    How come her father who worked in US Embassy in Delhi played a part in these events to get US citizenship?
    India needs to tell US, reciprocate Good Conduct or Treatment instead of thinking they are Big Boss & getaway with any CRIMES.

    DisAgree [11] Agree [11] Reply Report Abuse

  • stan, dubai

    Wed, Oct 15 2014

    “I am hopeful that specially this government will take it up positively because this is not just my matter, it's about having a special judicial process against a diplomat.".
    Please let me know any diplomat got right to make fraud in any country? If they are caught by other country, what action the government has to take against that diplomat? India has to support this type of diplomat who spoiled India’s reputation?

    DisAgree [3] Agree [27] Reply Report Abuse

  • Suleman Beary, Udupi

    Wed, Oct 15 2014

    India is behaving like Kingdom.

    DisAgree [22] Agree [7] Reply Report Abuse

  • Peter, Badhyar

    Tue, Oct 14 2014

    JAISI KARNI WAISI BARNI-!

    DisAgree [7] Agree [30] Reply Report Abuse


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