Supreme Court told India can do no more to save Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya from Yemen execution

Dubai: India’s top legal officer on Monday delivered a grim message to the Supreme Court — there is nothing more the Indian government can do to prevent the execution of Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya, who faces the death penalty in Yemen on July 16.

“It is unfortunate... but there is a point till which we can go. We have reached it,” Attorney General R. Venkataramani told a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, responding to an urgent plea filed by activists seeking the government’s direct intervention, according to Indian media reports.

Priya  was convicted for the 2017 death of her Yemeni business partner, Talal Abdo Mehdi, who she accused of harassing her, stealing money and withholding her passport. She allegedly injected him with sedatives in a desperate attempt to retrieve her passport and escape the country. He died in the process.

Now, as per Yemeni law, her only chance of avoiding execution is a pardon from Mehdi’s family — in exchange for ‘blood money’. But the family has refused a $1 million (Rs8.5 crore) offer, citing “a matter of honour.”

The Attorney General revealed that India had tried every possible diplomatic and legal channel. “We spoke to the public prosecutor. We even got involved with an influential Sheikh there,” he told the court. “But it has not worked. Nothing seems to matter to the Yemeni government.”

Even an informal assurance that the execution might be paused has not yielded a breakthrough. “This is not an area where the government can be asked to do something beyond a defined limit,” Venkataramani emphasised.

When the court asked whether India could strengthen the blood money offer with official backing, the AG replied bluntly: “Any financial compensation offered can only be a personal gesture.”

The Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council, which filed the petition, told the court that all legal options in Yemen had been exhausted.
“All petitions were dismissed… her conviction upheld by the Supreme Judicial Council… the President approved the execution,” said activist Babu John, who is leading the campaign to save her.

The case, he said, is a tragic consequence of a woman trapped in a foreign land with no escape. Priya had moved to Yemen in 2008 for a better livelihood and later opened a clinic, partnering with a local man to comply with Yemeni law — a partnership that turned into an abusive nightmare.

Now, with less than 48 hours to go, all eyes are on the family of the deceased, who hold the power to grant a life-saving pardon under Sharia law, if they accept the compensation.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan renewed his plea to the Prime Minister to “urgently intervene” and save the life of the Indian nurse.
“The Government of Kerala stands firmly with all those working toward her exoneration and safe return,” he posted on X, attaching a letter dated March 24, 2025, in which he urged the Union External Affairs Minister to act.

“This is a case deserving sympathy,” he wrote. “Considering that the execution is fixed for July 16, I appeal to the Hon’ble Prime Minister to take up the matter.”

As the final hours tick down, Justice Sandeep Mehta remarked during Monday’s hearing that it would be “very unfortunate if Priya were to lose her life” despite efforts on all sides.

The court has posted the matter for further hearing on Friday, July 18 — two days after the scheduled execution. Whether that hearing will still be relevant depends entirely on the family of Talal Mehdi — and a final act of mercy.

Under Yemeni law, based on Sharia, blood money or diya is financial compensation paid to a victim’s family in exchange for pardoning the offender. Its acceptance waives the right to ‘qisas’ — retribution or execution. It can be accepted any time before the execution, even at the last minute.