NEW DELHI: With barely six days left for the execution of Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya in Yemen, a petition on Thursday urged the Supreme Court to direct the Centre to make last-ditch diplomatic efforts to save her from the gallows.
“Considering the nature and urgency of the case, we request the Central Government to apprise this court through the Attorney General as to the steps taken in the case, if any,” a Bench led by Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia said, directing listing of the matter before an appropriate Bench on July 14.
The order came after the petition filed by ‘Save Nimisha Priya Action Council’ was mentioned by senior advocate Regenth Basant before the Bench, which also included Justice Joymalya Bagchi.
According to Sharia law, a person could be released if the victim’s relatives agreed to accept “blood money”, Basant told the Bench, urging it to ask the Centre to explore such an option to secure her release from Yemen through diplomatic channels.
The 37-year-old nurse is scheduled to be executed on July 16. She was sentenced to death for murdering Yemeni national Talal Abdo Mahdi in 2017 by allegedly injecting him with sedatives to get her passport that the deceased had kept in his possession. The conviction was upheld by the country’s Supreme Judicial Council in November 2023.
Earlier, MEA official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “We are aware of the sentencing of Nimisha Priya in Yemen. We understand that her family is exploring relevant options. The government is extending all possible help in the matter.”