US closely following court case against Kamal Nath

Lalit K Jha
Washington, Jan 25 (PTI) The US has said that it is
still reviewing the question about India's Union Urban
Development Minister Kamal Nath's diplomatic immunity
clarification being sought by the Indian Government.
"Well, we are following closely a civil complaint
involving Minister Kamal Nath. This is still a legal process
that is unfolding. It's unclear whether there's any live
action against Minister Nath and what its content might be,"
State Department spokesman P J Crowley said.
"I think the plaintiffs have until February 9 to file
an amended complaint. The immunity question remains under
review here at the State Department, and we have not made any
determination at this point," Crowley said.
The clarification was sought by the Indian Embassy
following the case filed against him by an NGO, Sikhs for
Justice, in April last year.
In a statement Sikhs for Justice said that an amended
complaint will be filed in the 1984 anti-Sikh riot case being
pursued in a New York federal district court against Nath.
Gurpatwant S Pannun of Sikhs for Justice, in a
statement issued Sunday had claimed that the Department of
State has declined to intervene.
The United States is looking forward to working with
him in his new capacity as the Urban Development Minister.
"As Commerce Minister and more recently as Roads and
Highways Minister, Kamal Nath has been a strong advocate and
an important partner of the United States in deepening our
trade and economic relationship," the State Department
official said on Sunday.
"We look forward to continuing to work closely with
him in his new capacity as Minister for Urban Development,
particularly as we seek explore opportunities to develop new
partnerships between our countries' cities," the official
said.