New Delhi/New York, Dec 23
Senior Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade, facing a visa fraud case, has been granted accreditation to the UN headquarters and the process to get a separate State Department identity card which would give her full diplomatic immunity is underway.

Khobragade has got the UN badge that says she is a delegate and counsellor at the Indian mission to the UN. The identity card will enable her to enter the UN premises, said sources.

"As of now, the UN badge has been issued and the relevant papers for her to get a State Department identity card have been sent by the UN to the State Department as per the normal procedure," a source said.

Simultaneously, Devyani has been given an exemption from personal appearance in a New York court hearing visa fraud charges against her.

Khobragade had been transferred by the government to its mission to the UN to give her full diplomatic immunity. Her exemption from personal appearance in the court is a significant step towards a way out of the stand-off created by her arrest and strip-search that evoked a sharp reaction from the Indian government.

Meanwhile, the US embassy in Delhi has sought extension of today's deadline for filing the visa and other key details of the Indians employed by it and its officers. (with PTI inputs)