Hectic parleys are underway in Yemen to save Nimisha Priya, a Kerala nurse sentenced to death for the 2017 murder of her Yemeni business partner. Advocacy groups and influential religious leaders have stepped in to broker a last-minute resolution to delay her execution, which was scheduled for July 16. The trust that previously helped secure the release of Abdul Rahim in Saudi Arabia is now prepared to offer a ₹11 crore fund, should the victim's family agree to accept blood money.

Speaking to Onmanorama’s News Brake podcast, Advocate Subhash Chandran K R, counsel for Nimisha Priya and representative of the Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council, said the immediate priority was to postpone the execution and create room for further negotiations.

“Our first focus is to delay the execution. If that succeeds, we hope to secure her release through dialogue and blood money, if the victim’s family agrees,” said Advocate Subhash on Tuesday morning. The death sentence has since been postponed.

Nimisha Priya is on death row in Sana’a, Yemen, a region where India lacks diplomatic presence and does not officially recognise the ruling authorities, severely limiting the government's ability to intervene. The complex tribal structure further complicates matters.

“Despite these hurdles, India formally requested a postponement of the execution and engaged with influential sheikhs in Yemen to support ongoing diplomatic and non-diplomatic talks,” he added.

One of the key figures in the mediation is Grand Mufti of India, Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musliyar, a powerful Sunni Muslim cleric. Representatives from his side are now in touch with the family of Talal Abdo Mahdi, including his brother. This marks the first time a close family member has joined the negotiation table. Talks are being held under Sharia law, which allows the victim’s family to pardon the convict either unconditionally or in exchange for blood money, a legally recognised form of compensation.

“Discussions continued late into the night. But even if one member agrees to a pardon, all other close relatives must be on board for any agreement to take effect. If the family agrees to accept blood money, fundraising will not be a hurdle. There’s strong support from the diaspora and well-wishers,” Advocate Subhash added.

He also noted that Rahim’s trust, formed to help secure the release of Abdul Rahim, an Indian sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia, has offered up to ₹11 crore in unutilised funds to support Nimisha’s case. Prominent philanthropists M A Yusuff Ali and Boby Chemmanur have each pledged ₹1 crore towards any potential settlement.

Earlier on Monday, the Centre informed the Supreme Court that it had reached the limits of its diplomatic efforts in the case. Appearing before a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, Attorney General R Venkataramani said the government was doing its “utmost possible” to save Nimisha.

The apex court was hearing a plea filed by the Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council, seeking urgent diplomatic intervention and time to negotiate with the victim’s family. The bench noted that the petitioners were not seeking government funds, only facilitation for negotiations. Nimisha’s mother is currently in Yemen, accompanied by a social worker, to help with the discussions. The Supreme Court has posted the matter for further hearing on July 18.

Nimisha Priya, a 36-year-old nurse from Kerala, was convicted of murdering her Yemeni business associate Talal Abdo Mahdi. According to her family, Mahdi had forged documents to claim she was his wife, confiscated her passport, and subjected her to repeated abuse. In 2017, she allegedly injected him with ketamine in an attempt to recover her documents, but an overdose proved fatal.

She was sentenced to death by a Yemeni court in 2020. Her appeal was rejected by Yemen’s Supreme Judicial Council in 2023, and the death sentence was later upheld by the country’s president. The Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council was formed to campaign for her release.