A federal judge dismissed charges Wednesday against an Indian diplomat whose New York City arrest and strip-search last year touched off a spat between the U.S. and India. The judge ruled that Devyani Khobragade had diplomatic immunity when she was charged in December with submitting false documents to get her housekeeper a work visa and with making false statements about the housekeeper's payment — meaning that she could not be prosecuted. Prosecutors had said Khobragade paid the hosuekeeper, who was also Indian, just $3 an hour. After she was indicted, Khobragade left the country on State Department orders. But even though the judge's ruling Wednesday tossed last year's charges, it also cleared the way for prosecutors to pursue a new indictment, since Khobragade no longer has diplomatic status.
