'Haneef visa cancellation to keep him in Australia'

Melbourne, July 24: The trail of blunders involving detained Indian terror suspect Mohammed Haneef has also made it to the Australian political corridors as a Minister has admitted his visa was cancelled only to keep him in Australia.

Haneef(27), was arrested by the Australian police on July 2 as a suspect in the failed UK bombings.

The case against the Indian doctor from Bangalore has been plagued by the inconsistencies and discrepancies ever since a Brisbane Magistrate granted him a bail on July 16.

The latest revelation by Australian Deputy Prime Minister Mark Vaile that Haneef's Temporary Business Entry (subclass 457) visa was cancelled for just one reason ''to prevent him from leaving Australia,'' is the latest in the series.

''It was a decision that (Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews) took to ensure that the individual stayed in Australia,'' the Deputy PM reportedly said.

The Immigration Minister had cancelled the Indian doctor's visa on 'character' grounds leaving Australian law pundits and civil libertarians appalled.

The latest revelation is bound to add fuel to already raging controversy over the detention and visa cancellation as the prosecution's case against Haneef is becoming progressively weak.

The Australian Law Council has already questioned the reason behind the visa cancellation and said if the decision (by the Immigration Minister) was made for a ''proper purpose'', then his aim would not have been to detain Haneef, but to deport him.

Now the Deputy Prime Minister's statement has put Kevin Andrews on the back foot and he would have hard time defending the legality behind the visa cancellation on character grounds.

The Immigration Minister's action becomes even more inexplicable as he knew that Haneef had already surrendered his passport as a part of his bail conditions.

The doctor was also barred from going anywhere near the international airports and to not apply for other travel documents.

There has been a swell of public support for both the incarcerated Indian medic and his legal team.

UNI