NEW DELHI: The Centre on Monday told the Supreme Court that it has limited ability to intervene in the case of Nimisha Priya , an Indian nurse from Kerala who is facing execution in Yemen for murder, calling it a “very complex issue” with few diplomatic levers available.
Appearing before a bench headed by Justice Sandeep Mehta, the Attorney General of India (AGI) said, “There’s no way we can know what’s happening [in Yemen].” He added that the government is in touch with Yemeni authorities, including the public prosecutor, and is trying to delay Priya’s execution while discussions continue.
The court was informed that the only viable option left to save Priya’s life is a blood money, settlement, provided the family of the deceased Yemeni national is willing to accept it. “The parties may apprise the Court on the next date about the status of the case,” the bench noted in its order while scheduling the next hearing for July 18.
Nimisha Priya, who has been imprisoned since 2017, is currently being held in Sana’a Central Prison and is tentatively set to be executed on Tuesday, July 16. The apex court took up the matter after senior advocate Ragenth Basant mentioned it for urgent hearing. The plea, filed by the Save Nimisha Priya Action Council , seeks government intervention via diplomatic channels.
The court had earlier directed that a copy of the petition be served to the AGI and asked the Centre to inform the court of the steps taken so far.
According to news agency PTI, a source said, "The family of the deceased, Talal Abdo Mehdi, is not even willing to accept blood money. All legal efforts have been made for Nimisha Priya, but the allegations against her were so grave that all efforts have failed."
Priya, a nurse from Kollengode in Kerala’s Palakkad district, moved to Yemen in 2008 and worked in hospitals before opening her own clinic. In 2017, she reportedly got into a dispute with her business partner, Talal Abdo Mahdi, over alleged misappropriation of funds. According to her family, she injected him with sedatives to recover her confiscated passport, but the dosage led to his death.
Priya was arrested while attempting to flee the country and was convicted of murder in 2018. A trial court in Sanaa sentenced her to death in 2020, and Yemen’s Supreme Judicial Council upheld the verdict in November 2023. However, the Council also kept open the option of a blood money settlement, in accordance with Sharia law.
Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to act immediately. In a letter sent Sunday, Vijayan wrote, “Considering the fact that this is a case deserving sympathy, I appeal to the Hon’ble Prime Minister to take up the matter and intervene with the authorities concerned to save the life of Smt. Nimisha Priya.” He referred to earlier appeals made in February and March 2025.
Priya’s mother, Prema Kumari, has travelled to Yemen in an attempt to negotiate a blood money settlement. Her efforts have been supported by the Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council, a collective of NRI social workers operating in Yemen.
Appearing before a bench headed by Justice Sandeep Mehta, the Attorney General of India (AGI) said, “There’s no way we can know what’s happening [in Yemen].” He added that the government is in touch with Yemeni authorities, including the public prosecutor, and is trying to delay Priya’s execution while discussions continue.
The court was informed that the only viable option left to save Priya’s life is a blood money, settlement, provided the family of the deceased Yemeni national is willing to accept it. “The parties may apprise the Court on the next date about the status of the case,” the bench noted in its order while scheduling the next hearing for July 18.
Nimisha Priya, who has been imprisoned since 2017, is currently being held in Sana’a Central Prison and is tentatively set to be executed on Tuesday, July 16. The apex court took up the matter after senior advocate Ragenth Basant mentioned it for urgent hearing. The plea, filed by the Save Nimisha Priya Action Council , seeks government intervention via diplomatic channels.
The court had earlier directed that a copy of the petition be served to the AGI and asked the Centre to inform the court of the steps taken so far.
According to news agency PTI, a source said, "The family of the deceased, Talal Abdo Mehdi, is not even willing to accept blood money. All legal efforts have been made for Nimisha Priya, but the allegations against her were so grave that all efforts have failed."
Priya, a nurse from Kollengode in Kerala’s Palakkad district, moved to Yemen in 2008 and worked in hospitals before opening her own clinic. In 2017, she reportedly got into a dispute with her business partner, Talal Abdo Mahdi, over alleged misappropriation of funds. According to her family, she injected him with sedatives to recover her confiscated passport, but the dosage led to his death.
Priya was arrested while attempting to flee the country and was convicted of murder in 2018. A trial court in Sanaa sentenced her to death in 2020, and Yemen’s Supreme Judicial Council upheld the verdict in November 2023. However, the Council also kept open the option of a blood money settlement, in accordance with Sharia law.
Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to act immediately. In a letter sent Sunday, Vijayan wrote, “Considering the fact that this is a case deserving sympathy, I appeal to the Hon’ble Prime Minister to take up the matter and intervene with the authorities concerned to save the life of Smt. Nimisha Priya.” He referred to earlier appeals made in February and March 2025.
Priya’s mother, Prema Kumari, has travelled to Yemen in an attempt to negotiate a blood money settlement. Her efforts have been supported by the Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council, a collective of NRI social workers operating in Yemen.
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