New Delhi: When all eyes are on the efforts to save Palakkad native Nimisha Priya on death row in Yemen, the Supreme Court was informed on Thursday that there was "no immediate threat" to her. Nimisha Priya, a nurse, was convicted of murder in Yemen. The counsel for the petitioner organisation, Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council, which is extending legal support to Priya, requested a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta to adjourn the matter. It then listed the matter after eight weeks.

A plea was submitted before the Supreme Court seeking a direction to the Centre to use diplomatic channels to save the 38-year-old nurse from Palakkad in Kerala who was convicted of murdering her Yemeni business partner in 2017. As SC was considering this plea, counsel for Save Nimisha Priya International Action Counsel claimed that the Malayali nurse will not be executed soon as the Yemeni court postponed it.

"Negotiations are going on. As of now there is no immediate threat. Kindly adjourn it by four weeks. Hopefully, everything will be over by that time," the counsel said.

"Let this matter be listed after eight weeks," the bench then said.

PTI reported that the petitioner's counsel said they would mention the matter before the top court if there was any urgency. The top court was apprised last month that Priya's execution, which was scheduled for July 16, had been stayed.

On July 18, the Centre informed SC that efforts were on and the government was trying everything possible to ensure Priya came out safely. The petitioner organisation sought a Centre-appointed delegation to go to Yemen to meet the murder victim's family for negotiations. The bench said the petitioner could make a representation to the government.

Earlier, the petitioner's counsel said that Nimisha Priya's mother was in Yemen to negotiate with the victim's family, and she reached there as the Delhi High Court had asked the Centre to give her permission to travel. The nurse was convicted in 2017, sentenced to death in 2020, and her final appeal was rejected in 2023. She is imprisoned in a jail in the Yemen capital Sana'a.

The petitioner's counsel had earlier told the apex court that payment of blood money to the family of the deceased, which is permissible under the Sharia law, could be explored. He said the victim's family might pardon Nimisha if blood money was paid.

On July 17, India said it was in touch with Yemeni authorities as well as certain friendly nations as part of efforts to reach a "mutually agreeable solution" in the case.

According to Yemeni court documents, Nimisha allegedly drugged and murdered Talal Abdo Mahdi in July 2017.