But hurdles remain for the Indian diplomat. She would have to apply for a fresh diplomatic card through the UN Secretariat, which would ultimately go for clearance to the US Department of State. Here India’s External Affairs Ministry need to play their part in diplomacy to get the clearance from the US Department of State.

If this matter is settled in favour of Khobragade it would ensure that she would not be subjected to any arrest or custodial interrogation in the future.

The Indian Deputy Consul General in New York, Khobragade was taken into custody last week on a street in New York while she was dropping her daughter to school and handcuffed in public on visa fraud charges before being released on a $250,000 (Rs 1.5 crore) bond after pleading not guilty in court.

The 39 year aged 1999-batch IFS officer was arrested on alleged visa fraud and that she did not honour the commitment to pay minimum wages as per US rules in the visa form for her domestic help.

New Delhi has strongly objected to Khobragade's arrest by U.S. Marshals outside her daughter's school, her strip search and to her being lodged as a common criminal with drug addicts in a New York prison

The move to arrest her was justified on the grounds that Khobragade was covered under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations which applies to officials working in consulates as opposed to those working in embassy.

According to this, the diplomatic immunity is only confined to consular work and not to personal conduct for. It also allows for arrest in case of a 'grave crime'.

By transferring Khobragade to India's UN mission, the government is aiming to get her full diplomatic immunity as the Permanent Mission of India is covered by the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations besides other UN rules.

The harassment meted out to the Indian diplomat caused uproar in Parliament and the Indian Minister of External Affairs Salman Khurshid assured the House about tough action against American diplomats posted across the country, but their safety and security of diplomats would not be compromised.

At the same time, the MEA reiterated New Delhi's demand for Washington to treat the Khobragade case strictly as per the Vienna Conventions.

'The Vienna Conventions are global conventions to which all countries are committed. For diplomats like us, they are the shield and armour which protect us. Let there be no doubt that India is fully committed to implementing the Vienna Conventions. We understand our obligations and our rights under the Vienna Conventions, and we will implement them fully and also ask for their implementation fully,' said the Official Spokesperson in the Indian External Affairs Ministry, Syed Akbaruddin.

Already the Indian Government has removed the security barriers around US Embassy in Delhi. All US consulate personnel and their families have been asked to turn in their identity cards. A ban has been imposed on import clearances for the American Embassy and Consulates. Airport passes and clearances for American diplomats based in India have been withdrawn.

The Indian Government has asked for salary details of Indian staff employed with the US Embassy and consulates. It has asked the Delhi Police to remove all security barricades outside the US Embassy and consulates and the Indian Government has asked for visa details and salaries of teachers employed with the American School in Delhi and in consulate-run schools in other cities.

On Monday, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar and National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon cancelled their meetings separately with the visiting US Congressional delegation.

On Tuesday the Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and the Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi refused to meet a visiting US Congressional delegation comprising Republican and Democrat members.

BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi too declined to meet the US team. He tweeted: 'Refused to meet the visiting USA delegation in solidarity with our nation, protesting ill-treatment meted to our lady diplomat in USA.' Political leaders cutting across party barriers refused to meet the US Congressional delegation.

Last week the Indian Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh summoned the US Ambassador Nancy Powell on December 13 and was issued a demarche as a strong protest against the treatment of the Indian diplomat.

The visiting US delegation is led by Congressmen George Holding (Republican-North Carolina), and comprises Pete Olson (Republican-Texas), David Schweikert (Republican-Arizona), Robert Woodall (Republican-Arizona) and Madeleine Bordallo (Democrat-Guam).