New Delhi – The execution is reportedly scheduled for July 16, adding extreme urgency to the legal efforts.
The case was listed for hearing on July 14 by a bench comprising Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi, after advocate Subhash Chandran KR pressed for swift action. He urged the court to direct the government to engage through diplomatic and humanitarian channels, including the possibility of offering blood money (diya) under Sharia law; it is a legal option that could lead to a pardon if accepted by the victim’s family.
According to reports, Yemen’s administration has confirmed the date for Nimisha’s execution. Her case has gained attention in India due to its emotional and diplomatic complexity.
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37-year-old Nimisha Priya, a native of Kollengode in Kerala’s Palakkad district, is facing execution in Yemen set for July 16, after being convicted of murdering a Yemeni national in 2017. She moved to Yemen in 2011 to work as a nurse, and later opened a medical clinic in Sana’a. Her situation took a tragic turn in 2017 when she attempted to retrieve her passport from Talal Abdo Mahdi, a Yemeni national who had served as her business sponsor. She had previously accused him of document forgery, abuse, and confiscating her travel documents.
In a failed attempt to recover her passport, Nimisha reportedly sedated Talal, but he died of an overdose. She was arrested while trying to flee and was later sentenced to death in 2020. The verdict was upheld in 2023 and ratified by Yemen’s President Rashad Al Alimi in 2024, setting her execution date for July 16, 2025.
India’s lack of formal diplomatic ties with the Houthi-led administration in Yemen complicates direct intervention. Nevertheless, the Ministry of External Affairs has stated it is monitoring the case and assisting the family through informal channels.
Efforts are underway to save Nimisha through blood money negotiations, with her family and supporters having raised nearly $1 million (about 8.5 crore) as compensation. However, the victim’s family has yet to respond.
Her mother, Premakumari, has made personal appeals in Yemen and continues to campaign for her daughter’s life, though the family remains heavily in debt due to the legal battle and fundraising efforts.
