 "Nimisha Priya")
The central government has informed the Delhi High Court that the Supreme Court of Yemen dismissed the appeal of a nurse from Kerala, Nimisha Priya on November 13 to change its decision of a death sentence to her for murdering a Yemeni citizen. Earlier, the Delhi High Court had sought the Centre's stand on a plea to permit the mother of Priya to travel to the country to save her daughter, PTI had reported. The final decision now lies with the President of Yemen, the government told the Delhi High Court on Thursday.
The Supreme Court of Yemen was hearing a writ petition submitted by Nimisha's mother, who sought permission to travel to Yemen to negotiate with the victim's family by paying blood money. Blood money refers to the compensation paid by an offender or his kin to the family of the victim. Notably, the government has banned Indians from travelling to Yemen.
Who is Nimisha Priya?
Nimisha Priya has been convicted for the murder of Talal Abdo Mahdi. Nimisha overdosed Mahdi with sedatives in order to obtain her passport from his possession. She planned to take her passport from him by making him unconscious by using sedatives. However, an overdose of sedatives killed Mahdi.
To get rid of Mahdi's corpse, Priya received support from his colleague Hanan, a Yemeni national. The two chopped Mahadi's body before throwing it in a water tank, a report published in Hindustan Times (HT) said.
Priya was sentenced to death for her crime in 2018, while Hanan was awarded life imprisonment. Priya is a mother to an eight-year-old child and worked in Yemen's Sana'a since 2011.
Is there a way for Nimisha Priya to survive?
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On Thursday, November 16, the Centre's lawyer said that the travel ban to Yemen may be relaxed for specific reasons and durations. Earlier, the court was told that the only for Nimisha Priya to be saved was for her mother to reach Yemen and negotiate the blood money with Mahdi's family.
Last year, "Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council approached the high court seeking direction to the central government to "facilitate diplomatic interventions as well as negotiations with the family of the victim on behalf of Nimisha Priya to save her life by paying blood money in accordance with the law of the land in a time bound manner," PTI reported.
The Delhi High Court had refused to instruct the Centre to negotiate the payment of blood money and had asked to follow the legal remedies available in Yemen. In an earlier petition, allegations were made against Mahdi that he forged documents to show that Priya was married to her and had subjected her to abuse and torture, HT reported.
