NEW DELHI: As the execution date of Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya draws near, intense efforts are underway to convince the victim’s family to accept blood money, the only legal route to saving her life under Yemeni law.
Nimisha Priya, a native of Kerala, is reportedly scheduled to be executed on July 16 for the alleged 2017 murder of her Yemeni business partner Talal Abdo Mahdi.
“All efforts are on to save Nimisha Priya,” her lawyer Subhash Chandran told TNIE. “In the latest efforts, through the intervention of influential Sunni Muslim cleric Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliyar, we have reached out to one of the family members, as well as some local authorities and religious leaders. We are trying our best so that the family accepts the blood money and the Kerala nurse is spared from death row.”
According to sources close to the negotiations, Musliyar — who holds the title of Grand Mufti of India and known as Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad — has stepped in personally and is making “all possible efforts” to open a channel of reconciliation. He has reportedly held talks with religious authorities in Yemen, who in turn are in contact with the victim’s family.
“Right now, the only hope is that the family accepts the blood money,” said a source familiar with the developments. While there are still “grey areas,” the negotiation team is working with the understanding that July 16 could be the execution date.
An office has been opened at Musliyar’s headquarters in Kerala to coordinate these efforts, sources said. Negotiations are ongoing, and the details have been conveyed to stakeholders in Kerala. However, there has been no official confirmation from the victim’s family regarding their stance.
Under Shariah law, which governs criminal justice in Yemen, blood money is a form of legally sanctioned financial compensation to the family of a murder victim and is considered a valid alternative to capital punishment if accepted by the heirs.
Nimisha Priya was sentenced to death in 2020, and her final appeal was rejected in 2023. She remains imprisoned in Sanaa, the Yemeni capital.
Earlier today, the Government of India informed the Supreme Court that it has limited diplomatic levers to intervene in the matter. Appearing before a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, Attorney General R. Venkataramani said, “The Government of India is trying its best and has also engaged with some sheikhs who are very influential people there.”
With just hours left on the clock, the fate of Nimisha Priya now hinges entirely on the willingness of the victim’s family to accept the blood money offer, a last hope in a high-stakes humanitarian effort.