Nimisha Priya case: Indian grand mufti says his role ends, awaits government action

Indian Grand Mufti Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliyar has said his efforts to save Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya from death row stemmed from long-standing ties with Islamic scholars in Yemen, according to reports from southern India. Priya is currently imprisoned in Yemen for the 2017 murder of a local citizen, Talal Abdul Mahdi.

“I have a long-standing connection with scholars in Yemen. I believed the victim’s family might listen to them. Most people don’t know that, in Islam, there is a concept of forgiveness once penance is made. This can happen in two ways, either by accepting diya (blood money) or without it. So, I requested the Yemeni scholars to approach the victim’s family and ask if they would consider granting forgiveness once diya is offered,” Kanthapuram told Risala Update.

Kanthapuram emphasised that his intervention played a pivotal role in a key moment of the legal process — when Nimisha Priya’s scheduled execution was initially postponed and later cancelled.

“Our work is done with the cancellation of Nimisha Priya's death sentence. Now it is up to the government to do the necessary things. I believe that the government will do that,” the web portal quoted him as saying.

He clarified that the Indian government had been kept informed of developments throughout, and stated that he had no intention of bypassing the authorities in this matter.

India remains engaged in diplomatic efforts with Yemen and other friendly nations in an attempt to resolve the case. Priya, who was convicted in 2020 for the murder of her Yemeni partner, was sentenced to death. Her final appeal was rejected in 2023.

Although Kanthapuram maintains that the execution has been cancelled, the prevailing view is that it has merely been postponed. This is largely due to reports indicating that Talal Abdul Mahdi’s brother and other family members are insisting on the death penalty and have refused to accept blood money.

The Supreme Court of India was recently informed that there is no immediate threat of execution, as negotiations with the victim’s family are ongoing. The court has adjourned the matter for eight weeks, pending further diplomatic and legal developments.