New Delhi : In a major diplomatic and humanitarian breakthrough, the death sentence of Indian nurse Nimisha Priya, earlier convicted in Yemen on charges of murder, has been officially revoked, according to a statement from the Office of the Grand Mufti of India.
The decision came following a high-level meeting held in Sana’a, the capital of Yemen, where the matter was reconsidered after prolonged diplomatic and community efforts. Nimisha, a Kerala-born nurse, was scheduled to be executed on July 16, 2024, for the alleged murder of Yemeni citizen Mehdi in 2017. However, Yemeni authorities postponed the execution on July 15, reportedly after mediation initiated by AP Abubacker Musliyar, the Grand Mufti of Kanthapuram, who had stepped in to negotiate blood money with the victim’s family under provisions of Sharia law.
The Office of the Grand Mufti confirmed that Nimisha’s capital punishment has now been fully cancelled, though an official declaration from the Yemeni government is still awaited. A statement from the Mufti’s office clarified that the legal revocation followed successful dialogue regarding compensation with the victim’s family.
Nimisha Priya was arrested in 2017 on allegations of administering a lethal injection to Mehdi, purportedly in an attempt to recover her passport. The victim died from a suspected overdose. In 2020, a Yemeni trial court sentenced her to death, and the verdict was later upheld by the Supreme Judicial Council in 2023. The President of Yemen, Rashad Al-Alimi, signed the execution order on December 30, 2024.
Despite this, the case remained open for a reconciliation settlement under Islamic law, which allows for the withdrawal of capital punishment upon the acceptance of blood money (diyya) by the victim’s family.
This development marks a significant diplomatic and humanitarian success for India, supported by civil society, legal experts, and religious leaders advocating for justice and clemency.
