Devyani Khobragade, the Indian diplomat arrested Dec. 12 for allegedly paying her housekeeper $3.31 per hour, may get get diplomatic immunity soon, reports say.
Khobragade, who is currently at India's Permanent Mission to the UN in Manhattan, was granted UN accreditation on Monday. That means she's entitled to a U.S. State Department Identity Card that grants her permission to not be present during court proceedings, NDTV, India's broadcasting network, reported. Khobragade will most likely receive the card after Christmas.
Though accreditation does not grant Khobragade immunity from prosecution, it may eventually lead to it if acknowledged by the State Department.
India has long demanded the U.S. drop the charges against Khobragade, 39, who is the Deputy Consul General in New York. Khobragade, who makes over $100,000 a year, is accused of falsifying information on her housekeeper's visa application.
Khobragade originally promised to pay her housekeeper, Sangeeta Richard, close to $10 an hour. However, when the two arrived in the U.S., Khobragade allegedly paid Richard only $3.31 an hour.
India says the U.S. "mistakenly" interpreted Richard's salary, according to The Times of India. The agreement between Richard and Khobragade, signed Nov. 11, 2012, said Richard would work 40 hours a week and be paid $1,560 month, or $9.75 per hour.
Sources told The Times of India that Richard was paid the monthly amount in multiple ways: $560 was transferred to her bank account, $375 was docked to pay for her usage of utilities like the phone and cable TV, and on occasion Richard received $625 in cash. The cash payments were given based on the amount of hours Richard worked during the week, which were sometimes less than 40, The Times of India reported.
The U.S. claims Khobragade is only allowed consular immunity, which gives her immunity only in cases related to her duties as consul, The Times of India reported.
