India Says It’s Powerless to Save Nurse Facing Execution in Yemen — Supreme Court Informed of Limitations

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): The Indian government informed the Supreme Court on Monday that it has limited options left to prevent the execution of Nimisha Priya, a nurse from Kerala who is facing the death penalty in Yemen. Attorney General R. Venkataramani, appearing before a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, said the government has already made every possible effort under diplomatic boundaries.

"Yemen is not like any other country," he said. “The concept of blood money (Diya) is purely a private settlement under Sharia law. We have reached as far as we could. Further public discussion may complicate the matter.” He also added that some discreet efforts are ongoing with the help of influential Yemeni figures and sheikhs.

The government had requested Yemen to delay the execution, but no official response has been received. There were informal indications that the execution might be temporarily halted, but there’s no certainty. The Supreme Court was hearing a plea filed by the ‘Save Nimisha Priya Action Council,’ seeking the Ministry of External Affairs' intervention to negotiate a settlement using blood money.

Nimisha Priya was sentenced to death for the murder of a Yemeni national, Talal Abdo Mehdi, and has been in jail for the last three years. Media reports suggest her execution could take place as early as Wednesday, following an order by Yemeni President Rashad al-Alimi.

While the court acknowledged it cannot issue a directive to stop the execution in a foreign country, it scheduled the next hearing for July 18, instructing the Centre to submit a fresh status report.

Meanwhile, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to intervene. Nimisha’s mother, Prema Kumari, has been making tireless efforts, even traveling to Yemen to negotiate blood money with the victim’s family. She is supported by a group of NRI social workers under the banner of Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council.