SC's BIG statement on Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya's July 16 execution in Yemen, says...

The Supreme Court on Monday expressed sadness over the Indian government's submission that there is not much it can do to intervene and save Nimisha Priya, an Indian nurse facing the death penalty in a murder case in Yemen. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta was hearing a plea seeking directions to the Indian government to save Priya from Yemen death row, through diplomatic channel negotiations.

The counsel who appeared for Priya informed the Court that the only remaining option to save her is through a blood money settlement, provided the family of the deceased is willing to accept it.

The Attorney General of India (AGI) stated that the Indian government is making every possible effort to help Priya. He further informed the Court that talks are ongoing with Yemeni authorities, including the public prosecutor handling Priya's case, to secure a suspension of the execution order until negotiations can be pursued.

However, the AGI also admitted that the Indian government's ability to intervene is limited, describing it as "a very complex issue," adding, "there's no way we can know what's happening (in Yemen)."

"There's nothing much that we can do... It's not like any other part of the world (where possible negotiations can be carried out)", the AGI stated.

Hearing the Central government's submission, Justice Sandeep Mehta expressed deep concern and remarked that it would be "very sad if she (Priya) were to lose her life.

After hearing submissions from both Priya's counsel and the AGI, the Supreme Court scheduled the matter for further hearing on Friday, July 18.

"The parties may apprise the Court on the next date about the status of the case," the bench stated in its order.

The 'Blood Money' Option

Efforts have also been made through Islamic legal provisions for clemency, particularly the option of diyat, or "blood money" — a compensation paid to the victim's family in exchange for a pardon. However, progress has been slow and complicated by Yemen’s ongoing political instability and the absence of formal diplomatic channels with the Houthi rebels, who control much of the region.

Who is Nimisha Priya?

Nimisha Priya was raised in Kerala in a family of daily wage workers. She was trained as a nurse and in 2008 sought better opportunities in Yemen. Over the years, she practiced medicine in several hospitals, and in 2014, she opened her own clinic in partnership with Yemeni national Talal Abdo Mahdi - something that foreign nationals were required to do to start working in the business in Yemen.

Nimisha and Mahdi soon had tensions, and after major disputes, Nimisha was said to lodge a complaint against Mahdi, leading him to be jailed temporarily before being released. Nimisha's family claimed that Mahdi had taken her passport and had continued to intimidate her. To get her documents back, Nimisha had allegedly put a sedative into him, but it was enough to lead to his death from overdose. She was arrested in 2018 in an attempt to escape Yemen after the incident, and she was later convicted of murder, which under Yemeni law is punishable by death.

With ANI inputs