SC to hear plea to save Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya

The Supreme Court will hear a plea seeking urgent intervention in Indian nurse Nimisha Priya’s death sentence case in Yemen. Activists demand diplomatic efforts and negotiations with the victim’s family, but MEA cites security risks in the conflict-ridden country

New Delhi/Thiruvananthapuram: The Supreme Court will on Thursday hear a petition seeking urgent intervention in the case of Indian nurse Nimisha Priya, who has been sentenced to death in Yemen.

The matter will be taken up by a bench comprising Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta. Nimisha Priya, a native of Kerala, was convicted by a Yemeni court for the murder of a Yemeni national in 2017. While her execution has been temporarily deferred, activists and humanitarian organisations have been pressing for diplomatic and legal efforts to secure her release or commute her sentence.

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The Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council, an advocacy group formed to campaign for her release, had approached the Central Government seeking permission for a delegation to travel to Yemen.

The aim was to initiate negotiations with the victim’s family in accordance with Yemeni law, which allows for a pardon in return for payment of “blood money”. However, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had earlier rejected the council’s request, citing severe security risks in Yemen, where armed conflict and political instability continue to pose a threat to foreign nationals.

The ministry had informed the petitioners that it could not grant travel clearance to the war-torn country under the current circumstances. In the hearing, the Centre is expected to apprise the Apex Court of the current legal and diplomatic status of the case.

The court will also consider the petitioner’s contention that, without direct engagement in Yemen, securing Nimisha Priya’s release would be nearly impossible.

The Action Council’s plea has urged the court to direct the government to make every possible diplomatic effort, including facilitating authorised representatives to negotiate with the victim’s family. They argue that time is running out as her death sentence, though stayed for now, could be enforced if a resolution is not reached soon.

The case has drawn significant attention from human rights groups, the Indian diaspora, and Kerala’s political leadership, who have repeatedly appealed for urgent action. The Supreme Court’s proceedings on this matter are expected to set the tone for the next phase of legal and diplomatic engagement.