By Joseph Ax NEW YORK (Reuters) - A lawyer for Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade on Tuesday asked a U.S. judge to throw out immigration and employment charges against her that led to a major diplomatic spat between the United States and India. The lawyer, Daniel Arshack, argued that Khobragade's diplomatic status, granted by the State Department last week as part of a deal allowing her to leave the country, gave her absolute immunity from prosecution, even for incidents that allegedly occurred before her accreditation. The U.S. Attorney's office in Manhattan, which indicted Khobragade on Thursday, did not immediately comment on the filing. Khobragade, a U.S.-based consular official, was arrested on December 12 and accused of underpaying her housekeeper. Source: Reuters [view]