A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court of India seeking urgent diplomatic intervention to save Keralite nurse Nimisha Priya, who is scheduled to be executed in Yemen on July 16 for the murder of a Yemeni national.

The plea was moved by an organisation named Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council, which urged the Union Government to open diplomatic channels and facilitate negotiations to pay “blood money”, a legal provision under Shariah law allowing the victim’s family to pardon the convict in exchange for compensation.

Senior Advocate Ragenth Basant, appearing for the petitioner, mentioned the matter before a bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi on Thursday, stressing the urgency of the situation given the fast-approaching execution date. He argued that the first appellate court in Yemen, while dismissing Nimisha’s appeal, had kept the option of blood money open, and negotiations with the victim’s family could still save her from the gallows.

The counsel told the court that time was now of essence.

While the bench suggested hearing the matter on Monday, the counsel requested an earlier listing, citing the time required for diplomatic processes.

The bench has agreed to list the matter for hearing on July 14.

Nimisha Priya was sentenced to death for the murder of Yemeni national Talal Abdo Mahdi in 2017. According to reports, she allegedly injected him with sedatives to retrieve her passport from his possession.

Source: India Today