Express News Service By

NEW DELHI: The Ministry of External Affairs has raised serious doubts about the “integrity” of Indian Foreign Service officer Devyani Khobragade for having retained both US and Indian passports for her children, asserting that she had “wilfully” violated government rules.

MEA’s trenchant criticism of its own officer, who was at the centre of a serious diplomatic spat between India and the US in 2013 — over the visa and wages of her domestic help Sangeeta Richard — was submitted to Delhi High Court in an affidavit filed late last month.

The affidavit was filed by MEA in response to the Delhi High Court’s order on May 15 that stayed revocation of Indian diplomatic passports of Khobragade’s daughters, aged six and nine. The MHA had issued the revocation order last December on ground that there was no provision in Indian law for a person to hold passports of another country while retaining Indian passports. The writ petition for the stay was filed on behalf of Khobragade’s minor children.

In a rather damning affidavit, the ministry said that the officer’s action of having two sets of passports for her daughters raises questions on her integrity. It further claimed that Khobragade had “hid” from MEA that her daughters also had US passports.

“She is well aware of the blatant manner in which she has wilfully violated rules and regulations of the government of India and therefore she is liable for the consequences of her action,” said the document.

The ministry pointed out that Devyani’s daughters “ceased to be Indian citizens the day they acquired US passport.”

“Devyani Khobragade let down the government by the above transgressions and also violated provisions of the Indian foreign service (conduct and discipline) rules,” said the affidavit.

MEA said that having been an IFS officer for 16 years and served in the passport division, Khobgragade had made a “deliberate and wilful attempt on her part of suppress this mandatory information from the ministry, which is a matter of serious concern for the ministry”.

The IFS officer has argued that she applied for US passport of her children “which she solely used in lieu of visa for the purpose of the children travelling to the US alone.” This was however dismissed by the ministry, which raised questions about her trustworthiness.

“In case DK had any difficulty to obtain US visa for her daughters, she should brought the matter immediately to her employer, the MEA rather than resorting to dubious acts which raises serious doubts about her integrity,” said the affidavit.

Khobragade had in December 2013, after she was arrested and cavity-searched for violating wage rules.

Since there is still a court case against her in New York, Khobragade can’t go back on an ordinary passport to US, as she would be arrested. She has, for several months now, been working as director in the States division in MEA, after being on compulsory leave.

A vigilance inquiry that had been launched by the MEA had found her guilty of violating rules by retaining both US and Indian passports and issued her a “recordable warning”.

Khobra Raises its Head

The MEA doesn’t have nice things to say about IFS officer Devyani Khobragade in an affidavit to the delhi high court. a look

■ Devyani had obtained a HC stay on her kids’ passports being revoked. The MEA has lambasted her in its affidavit

■ Devyani’s ‘trust-worthiness and integrity are in doubt’

■ She ‘hid’ from MEA that her daughters had US passports

■ The officer wilfully violated government rules and provisions of various acts that bar holding of US passport and Indian diplomatic passport for her daughters