The Supreme Court will on Monday take up a plea urging the Centre to intervene diplomatically to save Nimisha Priya, a 38-year-old Indian nurse facing execution in Yemen on July 16.
A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta is scheduled to hear the matter. The plea was mentioned on July 10 by advocate Subhash Chandran KR, who stressed the urgency of exploring diplomatic channels.
Chandran suggested that under Sharia law, the option of paying “blood money” to the victim’s family could be pursued, potentially securing a pardon for Priya. The bench directed the counsel to serve a copy of the petition to the Attorney General and sought his assistance in the matter.
Priya, a native of Kerala’s Palakkad district, was convicted in 2020 for murdering her Yemeni business partner in 2017. After her final appeal was dismissed last year, she remains jailed in Sana’a, Yemen’s capital.
The petition, filed by the Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council, cited reports indicating the Yemeni authorities have set July 16 as the tentative execution date.
The organisation is extending legal aid and coordinating efforts to prevent her execution.