Haneef family happy over Fed Court verdict

By Staff
|
Google Oneindia News

Bangalore, Aug 21: Family members of Indian doctor Mohammed Haneef, who was released by the Australian Federal Police after dropping charges of link with the terror attack an Glasgow Airport in June, today expressed happiness over the Federal Court's verdict staying the Immigration Ministry's decision to cancel the doctor's visa.

Federal Court Judge Jeffrey Spender in Brisbane said, ''the Minister cancelled the visa by adopting a wrong criterion, by applying the wrong test. It follows that the decision must be set aside.'' Dr Haneef, who is in Kodagu on a vacation with his family, was not available for comment.

Dr Haneef's cousin Imran Siddiqui, who had gone to Australia to bring back the Indian doctor, said the family had immense faith in the Australian judiciary and its people. ''We are happy that the visa is restored.'' However, he said the government would take at least 21 days to make its next move. The Indian doctor was eager to go back to Australia to resume his practice, he added.

Dr Haneef returned to Bangalore on July 29 after the Australian government dropped the charges of 'recklessly supporting a terrorist act against him. This came after a 25-day ordeal when he was detained and even kept in custody, including solitary confinement.

Dr Haneef, who worked in Gold Coast Hospital in Brisbane, was accused of terror charges following the attack on Glasgow airport in which his second cousin Kafeel Ahmed, who died of burns after ramming a jeep into the airport, was involved. Kafeel's brother Sabeel Ahmed, also a doctor working in the United Kingdom, is presently in the custody of the Liverpool police after being charged with suppressing information about the terror plot.

Dr Haneef was detained on the charge of lending his SIM card to Sabeel, before coming to Australia.

''We have a lot of hope and immense faith in the Australian judiciary and now it has been proved that Haneef is innocent.

A part of the system wrongly framed Haneef and so we should not blame the whole country. We are overwhelmed by the support given by the Australian people and our own people in in India. We wanted to come out of Australia on a positive note and today's court order has pleased us. We are ready to take the legal battle forward,'' Mr Siddiqui said.

He said Dr Haneef would not like to speak to the media about the court order till the Immigration Minister comes up with his next move.

The Australian Federal Court today ruled that Immigration Minister Kavin Andrews had adopted a wrong method in declaring that Dr Haneef had failed the character test and hence his visa work was being revoked.

The court further ruled that the Indian doctor was free to come back to Australia and continue his medical practice. However, it gave 21 days time for the Ministry to appeal against the verdict.

Dr Haneef's advocate Peter Russo, speaking from Australia, said if the Immigration Ministry preferred to appeal against the court order, the next hearing was likely to come up in December and the final outcome could be expected only next year.


UNI

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