MHA rejects Khobragade''s plea of dual citizenship for kids

New Delhi, July 22

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The Union Home Ministry has rejected IFS officer Devyani Khobragade's plea of dual citizenship for her children, who are American nationals.

Khobragade, who was arrested in the US in 2013 when she was India's Deputy Consul-General in New York on visa fraud charges, had approached the Home Ministry officials recently and requested them to consider her plea of dual citizenship for her two daughters.

"We have conveyed to Khobragade that her children are not eligible for dual citizenship and hence her plea cannot be processed," a senior Home Ministry official said.

The diplomat’s daughters were born in India but became US citizens as Khobragade's husband is an American national.

The Ministry of External Affairs had previously revoked her daughters’ Indian passports after they found they two also had US passports.

The diplomat had challenged the decision in the Delhi High Court.

The Central Government then accused the diplomat of suppressing the fact that her daughters had two passports, even telling the Delhi High Court that the act raised serious questions about her "trustworthiness and integrity".

"Devyani Khobragade's submission that the US passports were only used for travel to USA does not in any way dilute the gravity and seriousness of her misdemeanour and are blatant violations of Indian Passports Act," it had said.

Provision of dual citizenship is only applicable to Indian children born outside India. Khobragade's daughters were born in Mumbai and are not eligible for the provision.

Children of foreign diplomats who are born in India are also given dual citizenship while their parents’ serve in India. — PTI