Court says former suspect entitled to visa

BRISBANE, Australia, Aug. 21 (UPI) -- A court in Brisbane, Australia, ruled Tuesday an Indian doctor detained on British terror-related charges and later released should be given back his work visa.

Dr. Mohamed Haneef, an Indian national, was arrested July 2 and charged 12 days later with providing "reckless support" to terrorism in bombings in which three of his relatives were involved in Scotland and England.

While he was in Australian custody, Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews revoked his work visa. After Haneef was released, he returned to India on July 29.

Justice Jeffrey Spender agreed with a defense appeal that immigration laws were applied simply to keep him behind bars while the criminal case against him was falling apart, a BBC correspondent reported.

The ruling did not make the visa reinstatment immediate, allowing the Australian government to appeal, the report said.