With just two days left before Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya is scheduled to be executed in Yemen, the Attorney General of India R Venkataramani told the Supreme Court on Monday that “every possible channel has been exhausted” in trying to secure her release.
“There is a point till which the Government of India can go. We have reached that,” the Attorney General said, appearing before a bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta. The court was hearing a plea from the Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council, a citizens’ group urging last-minute intervention.
Govt’s Last-Minute Efforts
The government revealed it even reached out to “an influential sheikh” in Yemen to persuade authorities to delay or cancel the execution. “We got an informal communication that the execution would be put in abeyance, but we don’t know if it will work out,” the AG told the court.
A last-ditch request for suspension was also sent at 10:30 AM on Monday, but no official response has been received yet.
Why Blood Money Hasn’t Worked
Under Sharia law in Houthi-controlled Yemen, even after a conviction, a murder convict may be pardoned by the victim’s family in exchange for “blood money”.
Priya’s family has reportedly arranged a substantial sum, but the victim’s family and Houthi authorities have refused to engage, saying it is “a question of honour.” The AG remarked, “We don’t know if it changes with more money. But as of now, standstill.”
What SC Said
The Supreme Court acknowledged its limitations in issuing orders to a foreign country:
“How can we pass that order with respect to a foreign nation? Who is going to follow it?”
The matter has now been adjourned to July 18, with the court asking all parties to report any developments in the interim.
Background: The Case Against Nimisha Priya
- Nimisha Priya, 38, a nurse from Palakkad, Kerala, was sentenced to death in 2020 for the murder of her Yemeni business partner, Talal Abdo Mahdi.
- Priya claimed she was physically and mentally abused by Mahdi, who also withheld her passport.
- In an attempt to recover it, she injected him with sedatives, leading to a fatal overdose.
- The Houthi Supreme Judicial Council upheld the death sentence in 2023.
Life of Struggle
- Nimisha had moved to Yemen in 2008 like many Kerala nurses seeking better opportunities abroad.
- She opened a clinic, but required a local partner — Mahdi — to do so, as per Yemeni law.
- She married a fellow Keralite in 2011 and has a daughter, who now lives in India with her father.
- Since Sana’a came under Houthi control, diplomatic communication has become increasingly difficult.
- Her mother Prema Kumari is currently in Yemen, where she has been trying to negotiate clemency.