DHAKA: The US is still reviewing the application for the transfer of senior Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade to UN and issue the necessary documents for full diplomatic immunity.

A top official said in Washington, giving no timeline for its decision, reports The Times of India.

‘It is under review. We cannot predict when that review will be complete,’ said a state department spokesperson on Tuesday in response to a question on the status of the UN request to grant full diplomatic status to Khobragade.

The state department had received her application from the United Nations in New York on December 20. Normally, the state department takes a decision on this very quickly, but this time the US is taking an unusually long time.

‘We cannot compare this to previous requests as each request is evaluated on its own merits,’ the spokesperson said.

Khobragade was arrested on December 12 on charges of visa fraud and misrepresentation. At the time of her arrest, she was deputy consul general at the Indian Consulate in New York.

The US says, in this capacity, she did not have full diplomatic immunity.

BDST: 1726 HRS, JAN 01, 2014
Edited by Robab Rosan, Current Affairs Editor