New Delhi, 14 July

The Centre on Monday told the Supreme Court that its ability to intervene in the case of Nimisha Priya, a Kerala nurse facing execution in Yemen, is severely limited. Calling it a "very complex issue," the Attorney General of India informed the court that the only possible way to save her life is through a diya, or blood money settlement, as per Yemeni law.

Nimisha Priya, who has been in jail since 2017, is scheduled to be executed on 16 July. She was convicted of murdering her Yemeni business partner, Talal Abdo Mahdi, in 2017, reportedly by injecting him with sedatives to retrieve her confiscated passport. A Yemeni court sentenced her to death in 2020, a verdict later upheld by the Supreme Judicial Council in 2023, though it left the door open for a blood money deal.

The Centre stated it is in contact with Yemeni authorities and is attempting to delay the execution. The Supreme Court has asked for an update on the matter by 18 July .

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene urgently, calling the case one deserving of sympathy. Priya’s mother, Prema Kumari, is currently in Yemen to negotiate a settlement with support from the Save Nimisha Priya Action Council, an NRI-led group.

With mounting political pressure and humanitarian appeals, the focus now is on whether a last-minute agreement can spare Priya's life.