Can Rs 8.6 crores ‘blood money’ save Nimisha Priya from death penalty in Yemen? SC to hear plea to save Kerala nurse 2 days before her planned execution
With just two days left before her scheduled execution in war-torn Yemen, the fate of Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya now rests on an urgent intervention from India’s Supreme Court. On Monday, July 15, a bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta is expected to hear a plea seeking diplomatic efforts and legal recourse to save the 38-year-old nurse from execution. And yet, the variables are so complex, it cannot be certain if Priya’s execution could be averted even if the Supreme Court orders in her favour.
The petition, filed by Advocate Subhash Chandran KR, pleads for the Indian government to engage Yemen’s authorities, despite the absence of formal diplomatic ties, and facilitate the payment of “blood money” to the victim’s family, by Sharia law provisions prevalent in Yemen.
From medical mission to death row
Nimisha Priya, 38, hailing from Palakkad in Kerala, moved to Yemen in 2011 to work as a nurse in private hospitals. In 2014, her husband and minor daughter returned to India due to the escalating civil war. Left behind in a conflict-ridden foreign land, Nimisha decided to open a clinic in Sana’a to support her family.
Under Yemeni law, foreign nationals can only start clinics in partnership with local citizens. That led Nimisha to partner with Talal Abdo Mahdi. However, what began as a business arrangement soon turned into a nightmare. Mahdi allegedly forged documents to claim he was married to Nimisha, seized her passport, and subjected her to years of abuse—physical, emotional, and financial. He reportedly drained her earnings, tortured her under the influence of drugs, and even threatened her at gunpoint.
In 2015, Mahdi accompanied her to Kerala during a vacation, where he allegedly stole a wedding photograph to falsely claim marital rights over her and manipulate clinic ownership records. Nimisha’s repeated appeals to local Yemeni police reportedly fell on deaf ears. According to her mother’s plea, after a short arrest herself, she returned from jail to find the abuse intensifying.
The crime and conviction
In July 2017, desperate to retrieve her passport and escape Yemen, Nimisha allegedly attempted to sedate Mahdi. The dose proved fatal. With the help of fellow nurse Hannan, she dismembered the body and concealed it in a water tank. Both were arrested soon after. Hannan received a life sentence, but Nimisha was handed the death penalty in 2020 by a trial court in Sana’a. Her appeal was rejected by the Houthi-controlled Supreme Judicial Council in November 2023, and Yemeni President Rashad al-Alimi authorised the execution in December 2024.
The ‘Blood Money’ offer: A last-minute lifeline?
The plea is centered around a desperate yet lawful option: an offer of $1 million (approximately ₹8.6 crore) as diyya, blood money, to the family of Talal Abdo Mahdi, the Yemeni national Nimisha is accused of murdering in 2017. Under Sharia law, the victim’s kin have the power to pardon the convicted in exchange for such compensation. The petition contends that this route remains the only viable alternative to halt her imminent execution.
Advocate Subhash Chandran KR initially moved the plea, later supported by Advocate Ragenth Basant, representing the Save Nimisha Priya International Council. During an earlier hearing before a vacation bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi, Basant told the court, “I am an Indian citizen from Kerala. Went there for employment as a nurse. A local person started torturing me… and he was killed.”
While the bench had listed the matter for July 14, counsel requested an earlier date due to the proximity of the execution. The court obliged, setting the hearing for July 11.
‘Blood Money’: Price of a pardon
Nimisha’s family has reportedly arranged $1 million (approx. ₹8.6 crore) as blood money to offer to Mahdi’s family. However, the path to negotiation has been fraught with delays and mistrust. Yemeni lawyer Abdullah Ameer, representing Nimisha, had demanded $40,000 as a pre-negotiation fee. Though the Indian Ministry of External Affairs paid nearly $20,000, disputes over the remaining amount stalled proceedings.
Efforts to crowdfund the legal expenses through the Save Nimisha Priya Council also drew criticism due to an alleged lack of transparency in fund management. Meanwhile, Nimisha’s mother, Prema Kumari, travelled to Yemen in April 2024, the first time she had seen her daughter in 11 years, in a bid to personally appeal for forgiveness and begin the dialogue with Mahdi’s tribal leaders.
Indian govt’s limited but active role
The complexity of Nimisha’s case is compounded by Yemen’s ongoing civil war and the fact that she is incarcerated in Sana’, territory controlled by the Houthi rebels. India does not have official diplomatic relations with the Houthis, which has severely restricted its ability to intervene directly.
Despite this, Indian authorities have reportedly been making backchannel efforts to engage with tribal leaders and intermediaries to save Nimisha’s life. But with the clock ticking down to July 16, the scheduled date of her execution, every minute counts.
Desperate and diminishing options
The apex court in India on Monday will finalise whether the Indian government must intensify its efforts to secure a pardon using options available to them, even though the Ministry of External Affairs had already clarified they had done all they could to help
The Supreme Court hearing on Monday will decide whether the Indian government must intensify its efforts to secure a pardon using the available legal tools in Yemen. For Nimisha Priya, whose case has sparked emotional appeals and international media attention, the ₹8.6 crore offer may represent her final hope.
Whether the victim’s family agrees to accept the blood money and whether the Houthis allow the process to play out remains to be seen. If the court’s push and the Indian government’s last-minute efforts achieve a diplomatic breakthrough, it may yet stop Priya’s execution.
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