Devyani Khobragade case: India limits immunity for US diplomats, withdraws it for kin

“All Identity Cards provided to US Consular officials now stand withdrawn. New cards which are exact replicas of cards provided to Indian Consulate officials in the US are being given in lieu of the withdrawn cards. These cards will only be given to the Consular officials and will not be given to their family members,” sources said.

The family members of Indian Consulate officials in the US are also not provided with such cards, they noted and cited the example of arrest of Krittika Biswas, daughter of the vice counsel at the Indian Consulate in Manhattan, Debashish Biswas, in 2011 when the US State Department categorically said the family members of Indian consular officials do not have immunity.

Not issuing IDs to families of US consular officials will ensure strict reciprocity in terms of the Identity Cards being carried by Indian and US consular officials in each others' country, sources said.

The sources said, further, acting reciprocally, US consular staff will now only be permitted to import their requirements during the first six months on assuming office as is provided in the Vienna Convention for Consular Relations.

Previously, they were allowed to import their requirements over the three year period of tenure.