Aakash singh devyani khobragade biography

Devyani Khobragade

Indian central civil servant

Devyani Khobragade is a central civil servant of Indian Foreign Service cadre. She was in the news after being charged with visa fraud when she was posted in the Indian Consul in New York City in the United States. She is currently serving as ambassador of India to Cambodia at Embassy of India, Phnom Penh.[2]

Early life

Khobragade was born May 25, in Tarapur, Maharashtra, in a Buddhist family from Gadchiroli, Maharashtra.[3][4] Khobragade's father, Uttam Khobragade, was an officer in the Indian Administrative Service.[3] He was also implicated in a number of corruption scandals.[5][6][7]

She attended Mount Carmel High School in Mumbai.

She obtained a degree in medicine from King Edward Memorial Hospital and Seth Gordhandas Sunderdas Medical College.[8]

Career

Khobragade joined the Indian Foreign Service in In , she was posted to the Consulate General of India in New York where she worked as Deputy Consul General till December She handled women's affairs as well as political and economic issues.[3] As acting Consul General, she provided her personal perspective on Women's Rights and the Influence of Demographics in India at the Australian Consulate-General in New York in April [9]

On 20 January she was posted to New Delhi as director of the Development Partnership Administration (DPA), an agency formed in at the Ministry of External Affairs to handle India's projects overseas.[10] In December the Ministry of External Affairs removed her from this post and placed her on "compulsory wait".[11] In July she was reinstated as a director in the Ministry of External Affairs, this time in its State Governments division.[12][13] She chose to work with Kerala, aiming to promote its interests overseas in areas like investment, culture, tourism and the well-being of its large diaspora in the Gulf countries.[14]

Khobragade was selected for the Chevening Rolls-Royce scholarship in [15]

She was appointed Ambassador to Cambodia on 2 October [16]

Personal life

Khobragade is married to an American citizen, Aakash Singh Rathore, who is research professor at University of Luiss, Rome, Italy.[17][18][19][20][21] Since Rathore is a foreign national married to an Indian diplomat, he has applied for Indian citizenship which has not yet been granted since he has not completed the required domicile period in India.[22]

The couple have two daughters, who were ages 7 and 4 in [3] Khobragade's father, Uttam, was an officer in the Indian Administrative Service.[3]

Controversies

Besides the Devyani Khobragade incident, her name is mostly in news with her father Uttam Khobragade for Adarsh Housing Society scam.

United States visa fraud

See also: Devyani Khobragade incident

On 12 December , Devyani Khobragade, India's Deputy Consul General at its diplomatic mission in New York City at that time, was arrested on charges of visa fraud and perjury under Title 18, United States Code, Section [23] This incident led to a major diplomatic standoff between India and the United States.[24]

Adarsh Housing Society scam

See also: Adarsh Housing Society scam

Devyani Khobragade and her father Uttam Khobragade owned a flat in the Adarsh Housing Society.[25] A government investigation and subsequent media coverage described false statements that she made to acquire the flat, as part of the Adarsh Housing Society scam.[26][27][28][29]

Undue favours in her postings

There is a clear finding by the Supreme Court of India that Ms.

Devyani Khobragade was given a posting of her choice in the Indian Foreign Service by bending and modifying the specific rules of allocation for the specific year of where she was ranked lower than a meritorious batch mate of hers, Mr. Mahaveer C Singhvi.[30][31][32][33] The finding appears in the judgment of the Supreme Court of India in a case filed by the victim batch mate against the vendetta activities of the Ministry of External Affairs effecting his service in the case of Union of India v Mahaveer C Singhvi.

The Supreme Court of India in its Judgment stated "The mode of allotment was amended for the Batch in such a calculated fashion that Ms. Khobragade, who was at Serial No.7, was given her choice of German over and above the Respondent who was graded at two stages above her."[30]

Children's dual citizenship

After her return to India in December was asked to deposit her children's passports with the Ministry of External Affairs.

It was at this time Khobragade revealed that her children had passports from two countries, India and the United States.[22] The ministry instated a panel headed by the Ministry's Joint Secretary of Cypher, NGO and Vigilance (CNV), A.K. Chatterjee to determine whether she had violated Central Civil Services Conduct rules.

After a nine-month enquiry, the panel ruled against her and found her guilty of "serious misconduct".[34] In another administrative action, the ministry revoked the children's Indian passports.[34] Khobragade filed a petition in Delhi High Court against this action, arguing that though Indian law forbids dual citizenship, it is permitted for minors.[35] Legal opinion holds that though minors born abroad are allowed to hold dual citizenship once they reach the age of majority (18 years), they have 6 months in which to decide which citizenship to go with.[36] If they fail to make the decision within that timeframe, they automatically lose Indian citizenship.

Devyani khobragade salary: On December 17, , Delhi Police removed security barricades on the road outside the US Embassy in New Delhi, citing need for improvement of traffic flow in that area. CBS News. Archived from the original on May 31, Career [ edit ].

It is unclear, however, whether it is legal for minors to hold both a foreign passport and an Indian passport.[37] In May , Justice Shakdher of the Delhi High Court put a hold on revoking the passports and asked the Ministry of External Affairs to explain to the court why it took this administrative action.[38]

In a legal response to the Delhi High Court, the Ministry of External Affairs claimed that Khobragade obtained these passports for her children in violation of Indian law and without informing the ministry, thus raising questions about her "trustworthiness and integrity".[39][40] The ministry claimed that Khobragade obtained Indian diplomatic passports for her daughters by "suppressing material facts" which established that she "wilfully and blatantly violated the Indian Passport Act".[41] The ministry rejected Khobragade's petition for dual citizenship on the grounds that it is only applicable to those children who were born outside India.

As Khobragade's children were born in India they do not qualify for dual citizenship according to interpretation of MHA.[42] By acquiring US passports, the children had acquired US citizenship and would require a visa to travel to India, which the ministry would be willing to grant should the need arise.[43][44]

Other

In , she published a book, The White Sari.[45]

References

  1. ^"Father meets Shinde".

    Zee News. Retrieved 17 December

  2. ^"Welcome to Embassy of India, Phnom Penh, Cambodia". . Retrieved 12 October
  3. ^ abcdeGowen, Annie (20 December ). "Who is Devyani Khobragade, the Indian diplomat at the center of the firestorm?".

    The Washington Post. Retrieved 7 January

  4. ^Khobragade, Uttam (13 January ). "My daughter's return". NDTV. Retrieved 13 January
  5. ^"ACB books Bhujbal son for land fraud | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis".

    Aakash singh devyani khobragade biography in pdf Diplomat, Stirring a Dispute". Your Name. On June 21, , Khobragade left her children in the care of Richard and went on an out-of-town trip. On February 13, , the front-runner [ 88 ] in opinion polls to lead the next Indian government, Narendra Modi , echoed the Indian government's position in calling for a permanent solution to the Devyani Khobragade issue during his talks with the US Ambassador Nancy Powell.

    dna. 14 July Retrieved 29 August

  6. ^"Adarsh Scam: Revoke membership of 22 flat owners, CBI tells government again". The Indian Express. 16 December Retrieved 29 August
  7. ^"Sweltering summer just got worse - Mumbai Mirror -". Mumbai Mirror.

    Retrieved 29 August

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  9. Devyani khobragade salary
  10. Aakash singh devyani khobragade biography in images
  11. Devyani khobragade petticoat

    12. The Times of India. 19 December Archived from the original on 22 December Retrieved 27 December

  12. ^"Acting Consul General of India in New York, Dr Devyani Khobragade Holds Conversation on Women's Rights and the Influence of Demographics in India with New York Young Leaders' Program".

    Australian Consulate-General, New York. 30 April Retrieved 7 January

  13. ^Roy, Shubhajit (20 January ). "Devyani likely to head MEA's overseas projects department". Indian Express. Retrieved 20 January
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    Press Trust of India. Daily News and Analysis. 20 December Retrieved 22 July

  15. ^"Devyani Khobragade reinstated as director in MEA". Indo Asian News Service. Zee News. 3 July Retrieved 22 July
  16. ^Smriti Kak Ramachandran (3 July ). "Khobragade reinstated in new division". The Hindu.

    Retrieved 22 July

  17. ^"Back from the wilderness, Devyani to serve God's own country". Times News Network. Times of India. 31 July Retrieved 31 July
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    UK Government, Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Archived from the original on 6 March Retrieved 7 January

  19. ^"Devyani Khobragade Appointed India's Next Ambassador To Cambodia". NDTV. Retrieved 17 October
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    Retrieved 28 February

  21. ^" Sydney International Wine Competition". Archived from the original on 5 March Retrieved 3 March
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    20 May Retrieved 3 March

  24. ^Keith Stewart (5 July ). "Sydney International Competition entries open".

    Aakash singh devyani khobragade biography in wikipedia November 20, March 13, Article Talk. New Delhi was reticent to request that the rest of the family follow Khobragade back to India out of concern that her father, retired IAS officer Uttam Khobragade, would have created a furor and re-started US-India tensions regarding the case.

    Winetech. Retrieved 3 March

  25. ^ abRoy, Shubhajit (13 March ). "Trouble for Devyani Khobragade as govt finds daughters have both US, Indian passports". The Indian Express.

  26. Sangeeta richard
  27. Sangeeta richard now
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  29. Devyani case resolution complicated by marriage to US-born ...

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  32. ^"Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade owned flat in Adarsh society".

    Financial Express. 18 December Retrieved 28 February

  33. ^Shibu Thomas (6 July ). "IFS officer admits owning two flats on 'govt land'". Retrieved 22 December
  34. ^Sanjay Jog (4 January ). "Adarsh scam: How politicians, their kin and officials became members by flouting norms".

    Retrieved 22 December

  35. ^"Devyani Khobragade made false statement to get Adarsh flat: Panel".

    Aakash singh devyani khobragade biography In an email to her Indian diplomatic colleagues released to the media on December 18, , Khobragade wrote: [ 31 ]. He claimed that Khobragade was accorded courtesies well beyond what other defendants, most of whom are American citizens, are accorded. Retrieved December 27, Zee News.

    Times of India. 21 December Retrieved 5 April

  36. ^Saikat Datta, Shailesh Gaikwad (21 December ). "Did Devyani lie in her assets affidavit to Centre?". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 23 December Retrieved 22 December
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    The Times of India. 22 December Archived from the original on 25 December Retrieved 22 December

  38. ^BV Rao (19 December ). "SC ruling and why Mayawati is wrong on Devyani". Governance Now. Retrieved 22 December
  39. ^J. Venkatesan (5 August ). "IFS probationer can't be sacked without inquiry".

    The Hindu. Retrieved 22 December

  40. ^Rakesh Bhatnagar (30 July ). "Supreme Court restores job, benefits to IFS officer". DNA. Retrieved 22 December
  41. ^ abSuhasini Haidar (21 December ). "Devyani penalised for children's US passports".

    The Hindu. Retrieved 22 July

  42. ^Dipanjan Roy Chaudhury (12 May ). "Devyani Khobragade's kids eligible for dual citizenship: Ministry of Home Affairs". ET Bureau. Economic Times. Archived from the original on 23 July Retrieved 22 July
  43. ^Devyani Khobragade (24 July ). "It was my moral and legal duty to challenge wrong done to my kids".

    Times of India. Retrieved 24 July

  44. ^Cyrus Mehta (17 December ). "Dual Citizenship For Children Born In The US To Indian Parents".
  45. ^"HC stays order to revoke passports of Devyani Khobragade's kids". Times News Network. Times of India. 18 May Retrieved 22 July
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    Press Trust of India. Daily News and Analysis. 20 July Retrieved 22 July

  47. ^Devirupa Mitra (20 July ). "In Affidavit to High Court, MEA Raises Questions About Devyani Khobragade's Integrity". Express News Service. The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 22 July Retrieved 22 July
  48. ^"Devyani Khobragade broke rules and hid facts, MEA tells high court".

    Hindustan Times. 21 July Archived from the original on 21 July Retrieved 22 July

  49. ^"MHA Rejects Khobragade's Petition of Dual Citizenship for Kids".

    Indian diplomat devyani khobragade Per agency regulations, a strip search can include a "visual inspection" of body cavities. December 20, Archived from the original on December 23, Keep Reading.

    Press Trust of India. Outlook India. 22 July Retrieved 22 July

  50. ^"No dual citizenship for Devyani Khobragade's children". The Hindu. 23 July Retrieved 23 July
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  52. ^"Controversial diplomat Devyani Khobragade writes her first book 'The White Sari'". Indian Express. Retrieved 18 December

External links