Supreme Court informed that efforts to save the death-row convict continue as mediation progresses.
New Delhi
The Supreme Court on Thursday was informed that the execution of Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya, sentenced to death in Yemen, has been stayed and that “nothing adverse is happening” at present.
Attorney General R. Venkataramani, representing the Centre, told a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta that a new mediator had stepped in to facilitate discussions in the matter. “The only good thing is, nothing adverse is happening,” he said when the bench sought an update on Priya’s case.
The counsel for the petitioner organisation, Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council, which has been extending legal support to Priya, also confirmed that the execution remained on hold. The Supreme Court adjourned the matter, scheduling it for hearing in January 2026, while allowing an early listing if necessary.
Nimisha Priya, a 38-year-old nurse from Kerala’s Palakkad district, was convicted in 2017 for the murder of her Yemeni business partner and sentenced to death in 2020. Her final appeal was rejected in 2023. The case has since drawn international attention, with humanitarian groups urging diplomatic intervention.
Earlier, Priya’s mother had travelled to Yemen to negotiate with the victim’s family under Sharia law, which allows clemency through the payment of “blood money.” The Centre has assured the court that it continues diplomatic efforts through Yemeni authorities and friendly nations to reach a “mutually agreeable solution.”