Washington: Is the U.S. decision to arrest and strip search Indian diplomat Devyani Khobrgade on charges of visa fraud, sparking a major diplomatic row with what it calls an "incredibly important" partner, a case of classic American double standards?

It would appear so going by at least two recent cases relating to Saudi Arabian and Russian diplomats.

At Thursday's State Department press briefing, spokesperson Marie Harf had no clear answer to the difference in the treatment of Khobragade and "Saudi diplomats who allegedly committed even more egregious crimes."

According to the questioner, two Filipino women were rescued escaping the Saudi diplomatic military attaché's residence in a Washington suburb. But "no Saudi diplomats have been charged, none of them have been cavity-searched."

All that Harf could say in response was that she "was not aware of all the details of that case" and didn't "want to make a comparison about why something was or wasn't done.

"Each case is different, though," she suggested. "Obviously, we take any (such) allegation very seriously and we investigate them when they're brought to our attention."

But the case against the Russians really takes the cake particularly since it took place in the very borough Manhattan's India-born US attorney Preet Bharara, who has brazenly defended his actions against Khobragade as based on the principle of equality before law.

His office's "sole motivation in this case, as in all cases, is to uphold the rule of law, protect victims, and hold accountable anyone who breaks the law - no matter what their societal status and no matter how powerful, rich or connected they are," he said.

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