Supreme Court Hears Plea to Save Kerala Nurse Nimisha Priya from Yemen Execution

The Supreme Court of India will hear a critical petition filed by the Save Nimisha Priya Action Council to save Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya, facing execution in Yemen on July 16, 2025. A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta will review the plea, which urges the Indian government to employ diplomatic channels to halt the execution for the 2017 murder of a Yemeni national.

Supreme Court hears plea to save Kerala Nurse

Nimisha Priya, a 38-year-old nurse from Palakkad, Kerala, was convicted in 2020 for allegedly killing her Yemeni business partner, Talal Abdo Mahdi, by injecting him with sedatives to retrieve her confiscated passport. Her appeals were rejected by Yemen’s Supreme Judicial Council in 2023, leaving her in a Sana’a prison under Houthi control. The petition alleges Mahdi subjected Priya to severe abuse, including financial exploitation and torture, prompting her desperate act.

Urgent Plea in Supreme Court

The Save Nimisha Priya Action Council, represented by advocates Ragenth Basant and Subhash Chandran KR, seeks urgent diplomatic efforts, including negotiations for “blood money” (diyat) under Sharia law, which could secure a pardon from the victim’s family. The plea emphasizes the lack of formal Indian contact with Houthi authorities and the ongoing Yemeni civil war as barriers to effective negotiations. 

Kerala Nurse's Fate hangs in Balance

The Ministry of External Affairs has stated it is providing “all possible help” and engaging with Priya’s family, who are exploring blood money options. Public figures, including PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti and CPI MP P Sandosh Kumar, have called for intensified diplomatic efforts