Supreme Court to Hear Urgent Plea to Save Kerala Nurse Nimisha Priya from Execution in Yemen

The Supreme Court of India will hear an urgent petition on Monday seeking diplomatic intervention to save Nimisha Priya, a nurse from Kerala facing execution in Yemen on Tuesday, July 16, for the alleged murder of her Yemeni business partner in 2017.

The petition, filed by Advocate Subhash Chandran KR, urges the Indian government to explore diplomatic channels to facilitate the payment of ‘blood money’ — compensation to the victim’s family — as permitted under Sharia law in Yemen. The plea argues that such a payment could lead to a pardon and spare Priya from the death penalty.

A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta is expected to hear the matter, which had earlier been marked for urgent listing on July 10.

Background: Why Nimisha Priya Faces Execution

Nimisha Priya, a 38-year-old nurse from Palakkad district in Kerala, moved to Yemen in 2011 for work. While her husband and daughter returned to India in 2014 due to the deteriorating security situation in Yemen, Priya stayed back to support her family financially.

To legally run a medical clinic in Yemen, she partnered with a local man, Talal Abdo Mahdi, as required by law. However, the relationship reportedly turned abusive. According to the plea, Mahdi falsely claimed to be her husband, withheld her passport, and subjected her to years of physical and financial abuse.

In 2017, Priya allegedly tried to sedate Mahdi in an attempt to retrieve her passport and escape the country. However, the sedation attempt proved fatal. She was accused of murdering and dismembering Mahdi’s body.

In 2020, she was convicted and sentenced to death. Yemen’s Houthi-controlled Supreme Judicial Council upheld the sentence in 2023.

Legal and Diplomatic Hurdles

Efforts to save Nimisha Priya have been complicated by Yemen’s political situation. The Houthi faction, which controls Sana’a and the prison where she is held, is not officially recognized by India, making formal diplomatic engagement difficult.

Despite this, her family and legal team continue to push for an out-of-court settlement through the payment of $1 million (₹8.6 crore) as blood money, hoping it will persuade Mahdi’s family to grant a pardon.

With just one day left before the scheduled execution, Monday’s Supreme Court hearing is seen as a last-ditch effort to intervene and open a diplomatic channel to save her life.