‘Nothing Much Govt Can Do’: Centre Tells SC On Kerala Nurse’s Execution In Yemen

The central government on Monday told the Supreme Court that there is “nothing much” it can do to prevent the impending execution of Nimisha Priya, an Indian nurse on death row in Yemen for the 2017 murder of a Yemeni national.

With her execution reportedly set for Wednesday, July 16, Attorney General R. Venkataramani informed the court that the government has reached the limit of its diplomatic ability to intervene, especially since it does not officially recognise the Houthi-controlled regime in Sana’a, where Nimisha is jailed.

“There’s a point till which the government of India can go. We have reached that,” the Attorney General said during a hearing of a last-ditch plea for government intervention. “Looking at the sensitivity of Yemen, it’s not diplomatically recognised. Blood money is a private negotiation,” he added, clarifying that the government cannot directly get involved in paying compensation to the victim’s family.

Nimisha Priya, a nurse from Kerala’s Palakkad district, was sentenced to death for the murder of her Yemeni business partner, Talal Abdo Mehdi. She has maintained that she acted in self-defense against his alleged abuse and had only intended to sedate him to retrieve her passport, but he died of an overdose. Her legal appeals have been dismissed by Yemeni courts.

The only remaining option to save her life is a pardon from the victim’s family in exchange for ‘diya’ or “blood money,” as permissible under Sharia law. However, the Attorney General informed the court that the government’s attempts to negotiate through private, influential channels have been challenging, and the victim’s family has so far been unwilling to accept compensation.

“It’s not a matter where the government can be asked to do something beyond… It’s very unfortunate,” Venkataramani told the bench.

The hearing came a day after Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to “intervene with the authorities concerned to save the life of Smt. Nimisha Priya.” With the clock ticking, diplomatic and private efforts are continuing in a desperate race against time.