Nimisha Priya case: Govt denies report that Kerala nurse's death sentence was overturned

The death sentence of Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya, who was convicted in a 2017 murder case in Yemen, has been fully overturned, said the Grand Mufti of India Kanthapuram AP Abubakar Musliyar. However, government sources rejected the claims.

"The death sentence of Nimisha Priya, which was previously suspended, has been overturned. A high-level meeting held in Sanaa decided to completely cancel the death sentence that was temporarily suspended earlier," stated the Grand Mufti’s office, as per news agency ANI.

"Information being shared by certain individuals on the Nimisha Priya case is inaccurate," MEA sources told India Today.

Nimisha Priya’s execution was originally scheduled for July 16 but was deferred due to a direct appeal by Grand Mufti Musliyar to Yemeni officials.

NIMISHA PRIYA CASE

Nimisha Priya, 37, moved to Yemen in 2008 to support her parents and eventually opened a medical clinic, complying with local laws by partnering with a Yemeni national, Talal Abdo Mehdi. According to her family and supporters, Talal Abdo Mehdi became abusive and took possession of her passport, preventing her from leaving the country.

In 2017, she attempted to sedate him with an injection to recover her documents and flee Yemen, but Talal Abdo Mehdi died in the process. Nimisha Priya was arrested and sentenced to death by a Yemeni court. Her conviction was upheld by the Supreme Judicial Council in November 2023, and the country’s president approved her execution date for July 16.

After months of negotiation with Mehdi’s family, Nimisha Priya’s counsel proposed $1 million (Rs 8.6 crore) to save her life. Yemen’s legal system, based on Sharia law, allows the death penalty to be waived if the victim’s family accepts compensation, known as diyah or blood money, and chooses to forgive the offender. Such pardons can be granted legally until the final moments before an execution.

The Grand Mufti had also engaged in discussions with Mehdi’s family.

The Indian government, however, indicated that its capacity to intervene directly in the case was limited. The government told the Supreme Court that there was ‘nothing much’ they could do but indicated that efforts were on at a “private level”.