 "Nimisha Priya file photo")
Nimisha Priya’s execution , initially set for Wednesday (July 16), has been delayed by Yemeni authorities, according to several media reports.
The development comes as the Indian government has reportedly been supporting her case from the start, and has been working to buy more time for her family to negotiate a solution with the family of the victim, Talal Abdo Mahdi.
Despite the delicate nature of the situation, Indian officials have been in constant contact with Yemen’s jail authorities and prosecutors, and their efforts have led to this postponement, according to sources cited by news agency ANI.
Prominent Indian Sunni Muslim cleric steps in
Earlier, it was reported that a prominent Indian Sunni Muslim cleric has joined last-ditch efforts to save Nimisha Priya.
Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad, also known as Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliyar, the Grand Mufti of India, is leading efforts to persuade the family of Talal Abdo Mahdi to accept blood money, the only legal option under Yemeni law to stop the execution.
Nimisha, a 37-year-old nurse from Kerala, has been on death row in Yemeni capital Sanaa since her conviction for the 2017 murder of her Yemeni business partner Mahdi.
Her legal team states that Nimisha administered sedatives to Mahdi to recover her passport and escape what she described as ongoing abuse.
Mahdi allegedly died from an overdose, and Nimisha was arrested while trying to flee Yemen.
Nimisha’s lawyer, Subhash Chandran, confirmed that Musliyar has been in contact with Mahdi’s family and is collaborating with religious and community leaders in Yemen to negotiate a resolution.
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View AllIndian govt doing ‘whatever possible’
Earlier on Monday, the Indian government informed the country’s top court that it is doing whatever is possible but has limited options to help secure the release or stop the execution.
“There’s nothing much the government can do. Looking at the sensitivity of Yemen, it’s not diplomatically recognised. Blood money is a private negotiation,” Attorney General R Venkataramani told the Supreme Court of India.
Speaking before a bench led by Justice Sandeep Mehta, the Attorney General of India said, “There’s no way for us to know what’s happening in Yemen.” He added that the government is in contact with Yemeni officials, including the public prosecutor, and is working to delay Nimisha Priya’s execution while talks are ongoing.