Delhi HC tells Centre to save Kerala nurse on death row for killing man in Yemen
NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Monday asked the Centre's counsel to take instructions on a plea seeking a direction to the government for making a diplomatic intervention to save a Kerala woman on death row in Yemen for killing a Yemeni national.
Justice V Kameswar Rao listed the petition for Tuesday after the Centre's counsel sought time to seek instructions in the matter. At the outset, the high court asked, "This happened in Yemen. How does this court has jurisdiction then? How is this petition maintainable?" The Centre was represented by standing counsel Manish Mohan.
The petitioner’s counsel submitted under the Yemeni law, the woman can gain pardon from the family of the deceased by paying blood money, which refers to the compensation paid by an offender or his kin to the family of a victim.
The court was hearing a petition by an organisation, Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council, seeking direction to the Central government to initiate negotiations with the family.
The petition said Nimisha Priya, an Indian nurse working in Yemen, was convicted in 2020 of the murder of the Yemini national. It said Priya was accused of killing Talal Abdo Mahdi in July 2017 after she injected him with sedatives to get back her passport that was in his possession.
'Pay blood money'
The petitioner’s counsel submitted under the Yemeni law, the woman can gain pardon from the family of the deceased by paying blood money, which refers to the compensation paid by an offender or his kin to the family of a victim.
The court was hearing a petition by an organisation, Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council, seeking direction to the government to initiate negotiations with the family.