The Indian government on Monday told the Supreme Court that it has limited options to intervene in the case of Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya, who is set to be executed in Yemen on July 16 for the 2017 murder of a Yemeni national.
Attorney General R. Venkataramani, representing the Centre, informed the court that India has exhausted all possible diplomatic and humanitarian efforts. “There is only so much the Government of India can do. We have reached that point,” the AG said during the hearing.
Nimisha Priya, a nurse from Palakkad, was convicted for the murder of her Yemeni employer Talal Abdo Mahdi. She allegedly injected him with sedatives that led to his death. The incident occurred in 2017, and Priya has been on death row since 2018.
The court was hearing a plea filed by her mother, seeking intervention from the government to secure a pardon through blood money (diyah) under Yemeni law. While Yemen allows the death sentence to be commuted if the victim’s family accepts compensation, the government said the family has refused all offers.
The Centre also cited the absence of formal diplomatic relations with Houthi-controlled regions in Yemen as a major barrier. India does not have an operational embassy in Sanaa, making direct negotiations impossible.
The Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council has attempted to negotiate with the victim’s family, reportedly offering up to $1 million in blood money. However, no settlement has been reached.
The Supreme Court adjourned the matter to July 18 and asked the Centre to provide any further developments. Meanwhile, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging the Centre to take urgent action.
Unless a breakthrough occurs, Nimisha Priya is likely to be executed as scheduled on July 16.
