The Supreme Court of India on Friday remarked that the Central government is “taking good care” of the situation involving Nimisha Priya, the Indian nurse sentenced to death in Yemen. The top court’s comments came shortly after Yemeni authorities halted her scheduled execution, initially set for July 16.
The remarks were made during a hearing in which counsel for Priya’s family requested permission for a delegation to travel to Yemen. The team included representatives of a private humanitarian organisation and a delegate of Kerala Sunni leader and Grand Mufti of India, Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliyar. It was Musliyar’s intervention that led to the postponement of the execution earlier this week.
The Supreme Court, however, instructed the legal team to seek approval from the Centre, citing the ongoing travel restrictions and diplomatic sensitivity surrounding the case.
“They (the government) are taking good care of whatever is possible,” the court observed, according to PTI.
⚖️ The Case So Far
Nimisha Priya, a 38-year-old nurse from Kerala, was convicted in 2017 for the murder of a Yemeni national, Talal Abdo Mahdi. Reports claim that she had been subjected to physical and financial abuse, and had attempted to sedate Mahdi in an effort to retrieve her passport. However, the sedative overdose allegedly led to his death.
She was sentenced to death in 2020 by a Yemeni court, a decision later upheld by the Houthi-run Supreme Judicial Council.
On July 15, just a day before her execution, the sentence was halted following intervention by the Grand Mufti and diplomatic outreach from Indian authorities.
🗨️ MEA’s Statement
Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed India’s continued efforts:
“We have provided legal assistance, appointed a lawyer, and have been in regular contact with Yemeni authorities and Nimisha Priya’s family. Consular visits have also been arranged,” said Jaiswal.