Supreme Court Urges Centre to Consider Travel Plea in Nimisha Priya Case

Execution temporarily halted; petitioners seek permission to visit Yemen for talks with victim’s family over blood money deal

New Delhi : The Supreme Court of India on Friday advised the Union government to decide on a representation seeking permission to travel to Yemen to negotiate a possible pardon for Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya, whose execution has been temporarily halted.

A Bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta was hearing a petition filed by the ‘Save Nimisha Priya Action Council’. The petition urged the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to take diplomatic steps to save the Indian national, who faces the death penalty in Yemen for the alleged murder of Yemeni citizen Talal Abdo Mahdi in 2017.

Senior advocate R. Basant, appearing for the petitioner organisation, informed the court that although Priya’s execution, originally scheduled for July 16, has been paused, they need official permission from the Centre to travel to Yemen. The purpose of the visit is to seek clemency from the victim’s family by offering diya (blood money), a provision under Islamic law for negotiating forgiveness in capital punishment cases.

“Yemen is not a country one can freely travel to. Due to existing travel restrictions, we are requesting that two or three members of the petitioner organisation, along with a representative of a Kerala-based Islamic cleric, be allowed to travel to Yemen for the negotiations,” Basant submitted.

The bench refrained from issuing a judicial order but directed the petitioners to make a formal representation to the Union government for the necessary clearances. Additionally, Basant urged the government to consider sending an official representative to be part of the discussions with the victim’s family.

However, Attorney General of India R. Venkataramani, appearing on behalf of the Centre, declined to make any such assurance. “We want her to return safely, and we don’t want anything counter-productive to happen,” he said.

The matter is scheduled for the next hearing on August 14.

Meanwhile, the victim’s brother, Abdelfattah Mehdi, has firmly stated that there will be no forgiveness for the crime and that Nimisha Priya must face execution.

The MEA, addressing the matter on Thursday, said the Indian government has been offering all possible assistance. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated, “This is a very sensitive case. We’ve provided legal aid, appointed a lawyer, arranged consular visits, and are in contact with local authorities and the family to resolve the issue.”

Nimisha’s mother, 57-year-old Prema Kumari, has been at the forefront of efforts to save her daughter. She has travelled to Sanaa, Yemen, and is negotiating the payment of diya with support from the Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council, a collective of NRI social workers based in Yemen.