New Delhi: The Centre on Monday informed the Supreme Court that its ability to intervene in the execution of Nimisha Priya, a nurse from Kerala facing the death penalty in Yemen, is severely limited due to the lack of diplomatic relations with the country.
Appearing before a Bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, Attorney General R. Venkataramani stated, “There is nothing much the government can do. Given the sensitivity of Yemen and the fact that it is not diplomatically recognised, there is a limit to what the Government of India can pursue — and we have reached that point.”
The Attorney General clarified that the Centre was making the “utmost possible efforts” to save the Indian national from execution, but deliberately avoided public discourse to prevent complicating an already sensitive situation. He also informed the court that a formal request had been made to Yemeni prosecution authorities to suspend the death sentence, but it had not yielded any positive outcome.
“We got an informal communication that the execution would be put in abeyance, but we do not know if it will work out,” Venkataramani added.
The Supreme Court is currently hearing a petition filed by the Save Nimisha Priya Action Council, which has urged the Ministry of External Affairs to use diplomatic and humanitarian channels to delay or prevent the execution. The plea also refers to provisions in Sharia law that allow for the payment of 'diya' (blood money) to the victim's family in exchange for a waiver of the death penalty.
Nimisha Priya, an Indian national, was convicted of murdering Yemeni citizen Talal Abdo Mehd and has been in prison for the last three years. Media reports suggest that her execution has been approved by Yemen's President Rashad al-Alimi and is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday.
The Supreme Court expressed its limitations in directing a foreign government and adjourned the matter to July 18, directing the Centre to file a fresh status report.
Meanwhile, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and engage with the concerned authorities to save Nimisha Priya's life.
Her mother, 57-year-old Prema Kumari, has been leading relentless efforts to secure clemency for her daughter. She even travelled to Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, in an attempt to negotiate directly with the victim’s family for a possible settlement under Sharia law. Her campaign has received active support from the Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council, a collective of NRI social workers based in Yemen.
With IANS inputs