India concerned Haneef gets fair trial

INDIA is concerned about detained doctor Mohamed Haneef receiving a fair trial, the country's top diplomat in Australia says.

India's high commissioner to Australia Prabhat Prakash Shukla warned the Haneef case was being closely monitored in his home country.

Mr Shukla said India had faith in the Australian legal system, but some issues remained unresolved.

"I think some concerns have been put out in the past on the excessive publicity that a case like this gets, which sometimes does make a fair trial a little more difficult," he told ABC Radio today.

"The principal concern we have at the moment is there appears to be some additional information regarding the accusations against Dr Haneef.

"We are hoping that the Australian Government will be able to share that with us, and that will probably go a long way in addressing some of the concerns that have been aired."

Mr Shukla said he was in regular contact with the Federal Government, had met Australian Federal Police commissioner Mick Keelty briefly and expected to have a longer briefing on the case "in the near future".

"We are certainly following the evolution of the case very closely," he said.

The Indian-born Haneef has been charged with supporting a terrorist organisation after giving a mobile phone SIM card to a relative later accused of being involved in plotting car bomb attacks in the UK.

Mr Shukla said the Australian Government had assured him and the Delhi Government that Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews' decision to cancel Haneef's visa had not undermined his presumption of innocence.

The Government's reasons for revoking the visa were part of an ongoing dialogue with the Australian Government in Canberra and New Delhi, he said.

Meanwhile, Mr Shukla said it was too early to judge whether the case might deter Indian students from coming to Australia to study.

"I think a lot will depend on how the situation actually evolves," he said.

"Having said that, yes, I think this is matter that is being very closely observed back in India, that is certainly true."