NEW DELHI: Desperate, last-minute attempts are being made to halt the execution of Indian nurse Nimisha Priya , scheduled for July 16 in Yemen, with the intervention of senior religious leaders both in India and Yemen. The efforts are being led by Sufi scholar Sheikh Habib Umar bin Hafiz, at the behest of influential Indian Sunni cleric Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musliyar.
A key meeting is expected to take place in Dhamar on Tuesday between representatives of Sheikh Habib Umar and the family of Talal Abdo Mahdi , the Yemeni national allegedly murdered by Priya in 2017. Talal’s relative—who is also the Chief Justice of the Hodeidah State Court and a member of Yemen’s Shura Council—has travelled to Dhamar to attend the talks, following the advice of Sheikh Habib.
"The fact that he is a follower of Sheikh Habib Umar's Sufi order and the son of another prominent Sufi leader offers great hope," said Kanthapuram’s office. "Along with persuading the family, he is also expected to meet the Attorney General to initiate urgent efforts to postpone the execution scheduled for tomorrow."
Sources close to the process said the talks represent the first breakthrough in engaging with Talal's family, who had so far refused all contact. "It was only through Kanthapuram's intervention that communication with the family became possible for the first time," a source said.
Tuesday’s meeting will attempt to secure a final decision from the family on whether they will accept diya (blood money), as allowed under Shariah law. If agreed, this would offer a legally sanctioned route to halt Priya's execution. “We see the agreement of the family to hold talks with representatives of the Sufi spiritual leader as a positive signal,” the source added.
The government, meanwhile, told the Supreme Court on Monday that there is “nothing much” it can do diplomatically, given the status of Yemen and the absence of formal recognition of its authorities. "The Government of India is trying its best," Attorney General R Venkataramani told the bench. "We have also engaged with some sheikhs who are very influential people there."
He added: “Yemen is not like any other part of the world where, through diplomatic processes or inter-governmental negotiation, something can be sought. It is very complex.”
Priya, a nurse from Kerala’s Palakkad district, was convicted in 2020 for murdering Mahdi—her former business partner—and dismembering his body. Her final appeal was rejected in 2023, and she remains in prison in Sana’a.
A key meeting is expected to take place in Dhamar on Tuesday between representatives of Sheikh Habib Umar and the family of Talal Abdo Mahdi , the Yemeni national allegedly murdered by Priya in 2017. Talal’s relative—who is also the Chief Justice of the Hodeidah State Court and a member of Yemen’s Shura Council—has travelled to Dhamar to attend the talks, following the advice of Sheikh Habib.
"The fact that he is a follower of Sheikh Habib Umar's Sufi order and the son of another prominent Sufi leader offers great hope," said Kanthapuram’s office. "Along with persuading the family, he is also expected to meet the Attorney General to initiate urgent efforts to postpone the execution scheduled for tomorrow."
Sources close to the process said the talks represent the first breakthrough in engaging with Talal's family, who had so far refused all contact. "It was only through Kanthapuram's intervention that communication with the family became possible for the first time," a source said.
Tuesday’s meeting will attempt to secure a final decision from the family on whether they will accept diya (blood money), as allowed under Shariah law. If agreed, this would offer a legally sanctioned route to halt Priya's execution. “We see the agreement of the family to hold talks with representatives of the Sufi spiritual leader as a positive signal,” the source added.
The government, meanwhile, told the Supreme Court on Monday that there is “nothing much” it can do diplomatically, given the status of Yemen and the absence of formal recognition of its authorities. "The Government of India is trying its best," Attorney General R Venkataramani told the bench. "We have also engaged with some sheikhs who are very influential people there."
He added: “Yemen is not like any other part of the world where, through diplomatic processes or inter-governmental negotiation, something can be sought. It is very complex.”
Priya, a nurse from Kerala’s Palakkad district, was convicted in 2020 for murdering Mahdi—her former business partner—and dismembering his body. Her final appeal was rejected in 2023, and she remains in prison in Sana’a.
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