<p>Prashant Cherkupalli was detained in late 2004 for working at a bakery in Western Sydney without the correct visa.<br /><br />Cherkupalli, a student of Masters degree in Engineering, had spent nearly 18 months in south-western Sydney's Villawood Immigration Detention Centre before he was released in April 2006. Since then he has been living on bridging visas there.<br /><br />He had lodged a case with the Australian Human Rights Commission which released its findings earlier this month.<br /><br />Cherkupalli's lawyer Tom Mithieux said that his detention was found by the Human Rights Commission to be an arbitrary detention and breached the Migration Act.<br /><br />The commission subsequently made recommendations in relation to compensation and also on an apology among others.<br /><br />"The commission also found Cherkupalli should be paid nearly 600,000 Australian dollars in compensation. It takes into account general damages, which is generally looking at the hurt and humiliation I suppose of being arbitrarily detained for that period of time. There is also some scope for past economic loss," Mithieux said.<br /><br />"I came to Australia to get a job and get a permit and to settle down, but things have gone wrong for me and I ended up in detention, where I should not end up," Cherkupalli was quoted as saying by ABC report today.<br /><br />"It's not easy, counting every day to get out from there and back on the studies and back on the job," he said.<br /><br />The commission's recommendations, however, are not binding on the Federal Government and Cherkupalli still faces deportation.<br /><br />Mithieux said Cherkupalli should instead be granted permanent residency by Immigration Minister Chris Bowen.<br /><br />"There have been requests for ministerial intervention in the past. They have been rejected," he said.<br /><br />"However in light of these findings... the Minister has again been called to intervene and to put Cherkupalli in a position that he would have been but for this period of detention, which really means giving him permanent residency.<br /><br />The Immigration Department says it will respond to the commission's report by the end of the week. Cherkupalli's lawyers have also lodged a claim for unlawful imprisonment in the New South Wales Supreme Court.</p>
<p>Prashant Cherkupalli was detained in late 2004 for working at a bakery in Western Sydney without the correct visa.<br /><br />Cherkupalli, a student of Masters degree in Engineering, had spent nearly 18 months in south-western Sydney's Villawood Immigration Detention Centre before he was released in April 2006. Since then he has been living on bridging visas there.<br /><br />He had lodged a case with the Australian Human Rights Commission which released its findings earlier this month.<br /><br />Cherkupalli's lawyer Tom Mithieux said that his detention was found by the Human Rights Commission to be an arbitrary detention and breached the Migration Act.<br /><br />The commission subsequently made recommendations in relation to compensation and also on an apology among others.<br /><br />"The commission also found Cherkupalli should be paid nearly 600,000 Australian dollars in compensation. It takes into account general damages, which is generally looking at the hurt and humiliation I suppose of being arbitrarily detained for that period of time. There is also some scope for past economic loss," Mithieux said.<br /><br />"I came to Australia to get a job and get a permit and to settle down, but things have gone wrong for me and I ended up in detention, where I should not end up," Cherkupalli was quoted as saying by ABC report today.<br /><br />"It's not easy, counting every day to get out from there and back on the studies and back on the job," he said.<br /><br />The commission's recommendations, however, are not binding on the Federal Government and Cherkupalli still faces deportation.<br /><br />Mithieux said Cherkupalli should instead be granted permanent residency by Immigration Minister Chris Bowen.<br /><br />"There have been requests for ministerial intervention in the past. They have been rejected," he said.<br /><br />"However in light of these findings... the Minister has again been called to intervene and to put Cherkupalli in a position that he would have been but for this period of detention, which really means giving him permanent residency.<br /><br />The Immigration Department says it will respond to the commission's report by the end of the week. Cherkupalli's lawyers have also lodged a claim for unlawful imprisonment in the New South Wales Supreme Court.</p>