The Supreme Court on Friday (July 18, 2025) asked the Centre to consider on its own merits any representation made by Nimisha Priya — International Action Council, a group fighting to save the life of the Malayali nurse awaiting execution in Yemen for murder, for permission to travel to the country and negotiate with the victim’s family for pardon and payment of blood money.
A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta was informed that the execution, earlier slated for July 16, was postponed owing to the efforts made by the government and Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliyar, a revered scholar from Kerala.
Attorney-General R. Venkataramani expressed the government’s concern to bring Nimisha Priya back home safely. “All the government can do is being done,” he said.
Mr. Venkataramani urged the court to adjourn the case, saying “efforts were on” and to await further developments.
Senior advocate Ragenth Basant, appearing for the Council, said the nurse’s mother was in Yemen and alone. She was a domestic worker, and unable to carry out any negotiations with the murder victim’s family.
Acknowledging the help given by the government and the scholar, Mr. Basant, assisted by advocate Subhash Chandran, suggested a team consisting representatives from the government, the Council and the cleric could travel to Yemen to reach out to the family of the murdered man.
“We have to get their pardon first. The family has to forgive us. After getting pardon, the blood money has to be decided,” Mr. Basant submitted.
He said there was a travel ban to Yemen. The government has to relax the restriction for the proposed team to go there and put the wheels into motion.
However, Mr. Venkataramani reacted skeptically about Mr. Basant’s suggestion, remarking at one point that “I don’t think anything formally can happen at this time”.
But Justice Mehta said Mr. Basant was not asking for a direction, he was merely making a suggestion.
The top law officer said things were not simple as Mr. Basant made it out to be. In fact, the government did not want to risk doing anything which may turn counter-productive at this point of time.
“It is not like we will grant permission and it will be possible for them to travel. There are so many issues — diplomatic inter-country relations involved. It is not easy. The government does not mind giving permission. But if it does not happen, why get involved and create a problem by which the real issue is not solved… We will consider… We do not wish to be counterproductive,” Mr. Venkataramani reasoned.
Mr. Basant said the government had given permission for the mother to travel to Yemen after approaching the Delhi High Court.
The Attorney-General said the family should be the only entity involved in such a situation while terming the Council as a ‘good Samaritan’.
“What can an organisation that a government cannot do? We are concerned about this woman coming out safely. We do not want something counterproductive to happen. The government is pushing in various circles,” he said.
Putting the ball entirely in the government’s court, the Bench listed the case on August 14.
Ms. Nimisha Priya was sentenced to death in Yemen by a trial court in 2020 for the murder of a local man, who was her business partner. Her appeals were dismissed by the appellate courts of that country.
“Her only child, a 12-year-old girl, is living in a convent. Her mother is a domestic helper in Ernakulam and her husband is an autorickshaw driver,” the petition said.
Published – July 18, 2025 12:22 pm IST
