The Supreme Court on Thursday was informed that the execution of Indian nurse Nimisha Priya, convicted of murdering her Yemeni business partner in 2017, has been temporarily stayed, and no adverse action has taken place so far.

During the hearing of a plea seeking directions for the Union Government to use diplomatic channels to secure Priya’s release, Attorney General R. Venkataramani told a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta that a new mediator has stepped into the matter. “The only good thing is that nothing adverse has happened,” he added.

The counsel appearing for the petitioner organisation ‘Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council’, which is extending legal support to Priya, confirmed that her execution has been stayed. The bench indicated that the matter may be adjourned, saying, “List in January 2026. It will be open for the parties to apply for early listing in case the situation demands.”

Priya, hailing from Palakkad in Kerala, was convicted in 2017, sentenced to death in 2020, and had her final appeal rejected in 2023. She is currently imprisoned in Sana’a, Yemen.

The petitioner’s counsel informed the Court that under Sharia law, payment of blood money to the victim’s family could be explored, which might lead to Priya’s pardon. It was also noted that Priya’s mother is in Yemen to negotiate with the victim’s family, after receiving permission from the Delhi High Court to travel there.

According to NDTV, the Union Government has been engaging with Yemeni authorities and friendly nations to reach a mutually agreeable solution. Earlier updates to the Supreme Court indicated that there was no immediate threat to Priya’s life, and the government has assured it is doing everything possible to ensure her safety.

(Source: NDTV)

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The post Indian Nurse Nimisha Priya’s Execution In Yemen On Hold, Modi Govt Tells Supreme Court appeared first on The Commune.

Senior member of the Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council and long-time Yemen-based social worker Samuel Jerome Baskaran, who has been spearheading efforts to save Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya from execution, has strongly refuted reports in Malayalam media claiming a breakthrough deal had been struck with the victim’s family. Jerome confirmed that while Priya’s execution has been postponed, it was done without the consent of Talal Abdo Mahdi’s family, the Yemeni man she was convicted of murdering.

Jerome, who also works as an airline consultant, described ongoing reports crediting Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliyar with securing a pardon as “fake news” and said such misinformation risks derailing sensitive negotiations still underway.

Since this morning, Malayalam media has been spreading fake news, claiming that Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliar spoke with the Yemeni victim’s family and secured a pardon for Nimisha Priya.

This is false.!!

Samuel Jerome Baskaran, a key member of the Save Nimisha Priya… pic.twitter.com/C2in0Yylyv

— महारथी-മഹാരഥി (@MahaRathii) July 15, 2025

“No consent has been obtained from the family,” Jerome said in a video interview with Manorama News. “We managed to secure the postponement without any discussion with the family. People claiming otherwise are either misinformed or deliberately misleading the public.”

How The Execution Was Postponed

Speaking to The Indian Express, Jerome detailed the steps that led to the deferral of the execution. The breakthrough came after Sheikh Abdul Malik Al Nehaya, the ruler of Yemen’s Al Wasab region, met Yemeni President Rashad al-Alimi on Friday, 11 July 2025. The President subsequently agreed to delay the execution, and the formal order was passed to the prosecutor on Monday, 14 July 2025.

According to Jerome, this intervention was initiated after he had personally met the Director General of Prosecution and jail officials where Priya is imprisoned. A letter from Priya’s mother, Prema Kumari, pleading for clemency was also submitted as part of the humanitarian appeal.

On 14 July 2025, Yemen’s public prosecutor issued an official directive to the central correctional facility, instructing them to postpone the “retaliation sentence” (execution) in accordance with the Attorney General’s recommendation.

The Indian government, which had earlier described the case as “very complex,” is understood to have quietly assisted in securing the postponement. Indian officials, including embassy personnel based in Saudi Arabia, were involved in facilitating this process in coordination with local Yemeni authorities.

Jerome noted that Yemeni authorities had requested strict confidentiality around the decision until 15 July 2025 to avoid public unrest. “Many people were heading to the prison to witness the execution. Revealing the deferment prematurely could have triggered law and order issues,” sources close to the negotiations told The Indian Express.

Despite the reprieve, Jerome emphasized that the ultimate step – a pardon from the victim’s family – is still pending. Under Yemeni law, particularly Sharia provisions, the family of the murdered person retains the right to accept diya (blood money) in exchange for clemency.

“The key to Nimisha’s life rests with the family of Talal,” said Jerome. “They have to forgive her, and our job is to convince them to do so.”

He dismissed ongoing public claims that anyone has already succeeded in negotiating with the family, adding that only one family member, Talal’s brother, has been approached so far.

Jerome also criticized the sudden media appearances by individuals claiming involvement in the negotiations. “These are PR stunts. There is no substance to these claims, and they risk disrupting the careful and sensitive process we are navigating.”

He acknowledged the coordinated efforts of Indian political leaders, including Kerala MLA Chandy Oommen, Kerala Governor, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Ministry of External Affairs, and the Indian diplomatic team in the region. He also thanked Sheikh Abdul Malik Al Nehaya for acting as the local liaison who helped secure access to senior Yemeni authorities.

Jerome, who was instrumental in organizing evacuations of Indian nationals from Yemen in 2015, had returned to India recently but flew back to Yemen after the execution date was confirmed last week to resume emergency negotiations.

Meanwhile, Priya’s family and supporters are working to raise the required amount for blood money and continue their appeals for clemency.

Jerome urged the public and media to avoid spreading unverified claims. “I have stayed quiet not because there was nothing to report, but because this work requires patience, trust, and discretion,” he said. “When something real happens, we will inform the media, not before.”

(With inputs from NDTV)

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The post No Pardon Yet, Only Postponement: Social Worker Samuel Jerome Warns Of Misinformation By Media In Yemen-Based Indian Nurse Nimisha Priya Execution Case appeared first on The Commune.

Even as hectic diplomatic efforts are continuing to save Nimisha Priya, who is in jail in Yemen and sentenced to death, her husband was hoping for relief and for his wife to return home.

Tomy Thomas and their daughter expect that they will be able to prevail upon the family of Talal Abdo Mahdi to resolve the case by paying the blood money.

“Numerous people are working to resolve this issue, and we all are hoping that we will be able to connect with the family of Mahdi, who has to pardon Nimisha. Our daughter at times connects with her mother, but she is missing a mother’s attention and love,” said Thomas, who returned home years ago from Yemen and was planning to go back when the case surfaced.

The urgency of the situation escalated after Yemen’s President Rashad al-Alimi approved Nimisha Priya’s death sentence earlier this month. Reports suggest the execution could occur within a month, leaving her family and supporters scrambling for a resolution.

Nimisha Priya, originally from Kollengode in Kerala’s Palakkad district, moved to Yemen in 2008 to support her daily wage-earning parents. After working in various hospitals, she opened her clinic.

However, in 2017, a dispute with her Yemeni business partner, Mahdi, reportedly took a tragic turn. Family accounts claim Nimisha injected Mahdi with sedatives to retrieve her confiscated passport. Unfortunately, an overdose led to his death.

Nimisha was arrested while attempting to leave the country and was convicted of murder in 2018. In 2020, a trial court in Sanaa sentenced her to death.

Yemen’s Supreme Judicial Council upheld the verdict in November 2023, but it left open the possibility of avoiding execution through the payment of blood money.

The case has drawn widespread attention and raised concerns over the fate of Indian nationals abroad as the family and supporters continue their efforts to save Nimisha Priya from the death penalty.

The mother of Nimisha Priya, Prema Kumari, 57, has been tirelessly campaigning to secure a waiver of the death penalty. Earlier this year, she travelled to Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, to negotiate the payment of ‘diya (blood money)’ to the victim’s family.

The Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council, a group of NRI social workers based in Yemen, has supported her efforts. Prema Kumari, appearing on Yemen’s Malayalam television, tearfully urged urgent intervention.

–IANS

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