When India declined, U.S. asked India to send Khobragade back home. In turn, New Delhi asked the U.S. to withdraw from India a counsellor rank U.S. diplomat, who was allegedly involved in arranging to bring Richard's family to U.S.

Sources said the diplomatic option was pursued once it became clear that there was no meeting ground on the legal route with the U.S. side unwilling to go below a "misdemeanour" charge while the idea of an Indian diplomat facing criminal charges was out of question for New Delhi.

While State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki expressed regret over the expulsion of a U.S. diplomat by India, she also hoped that this would put an end to the crisis and lead to a return to the good old times in India-U.S. ties. "We deeply regret that the Indian government felt it was necessary to expel one of our diplomatic personnel," she said. "This has clearly been a challenging time in the U.S.-India relationship. We expect and hope that this will now come to closure, and the Indians will take significant steps with us to improve our relationship."

The spokesperson, however, made clear that charges against Khobragade "still remain in place. That hasn't changed" and the U.S. request for a waiver of her immunity is "an indication of the serious charges, the seriousness of the charges that have been waged against her."
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