Government tells SC there's ‘nothing much’ it can do to halt execution of Kerala Nurse Nimisha Priya
New Delhi: With just two days remaining before the scheduled execution of Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya in Yemen, the Government of India informed the Supreme Court on Monday that there is little it can do to intervene in the matter, given the absence of diplomatic ties with the war-torn country.
Attorney General R Venkataramani, representing the Centre, told the apex court that “there's nothing much the government can do,” citing the political sensitivity of Yemen and its current geopolitical status. “Yemen is not diplomatically recognized, and the situation is extremely delicate,” he added, as quoted by Live Law.
Despite these limitations, the government stated that it is continuing efforts to save Nimisha Priya through unofficial or private diplomatic channels. “We have tried everything possible. Going public would have only complicated the matter,” the AG said. “There’s a point up to which the Indian government can go. We have reached that point.”
Nimisha Priya, a 37-year-old nurse from Palakkad district in Kerala, has been sentenced to death by a Yemeni court over the alleged murder of a local national, Talal Abdo Mahdi. Her execution is scheduled for July 16.
According to reports, Priya moved to Yemen with her family in 2011 for work. While her husband and daughter returned to India in 2014 due to financial difficulties, she stayed behind and eventually opened a clinic in partnership with Mahdi.
However, the relationship reportedly turned abusive. Mahdi allegedly physically assaulted her, confiscated her passport, and threatened her regularly. In an attempt to retrieve her passport and escape the country, Priya tried to sedate Mahdi, but the dose allegedly turned fatal, leading to his death.
Since her conviction in 2020, Nimisha Priya has been lodged in a prison controlled by Houthi rebels, who are backed by Iran. India has no formal diplomatic relations with the Houthi authorities, further complicating direct intervention.
Expressing helplessness, the government said it does not have access to developments within the region. “It’s not a matter where the court can direct the government to act beyond its capacity,” said the government counsel. “It's very unfortunate.”
With the execution date looming, last-minute efforts by activists, legal groups, and Nimisha’s family continue, but the window for official intervention is rapidly closing.
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Rickelton's ton in vain as SRH beat MI by 6 wickets
Mumbai (PTI): Ryan Rickelton's whirlwind unbeaten ton was overshadowed by Heinrich Klaasen's unbeaten 65 as Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Mumbai Indians by six wickets in an IPL match here on Wednesday.
Chasing an imposing 244-run target, Travis Head (76 off 30) and Abhishek Sharma (45 off 24) shared 129 runs for the opening wicket to set the platform for SRH.
Klaasen (65 not out off 30 balls) then displayed his all-round hitting abilities to guide SRH home with the help of Nitish Kumar Reddy (21) and Salil Arora (30 not out off 10) in 18.4 overs.
Earlier, Rickelton's knock powered MI to 243 for five.
MI rode on a 93-run stand between Rickelton (123 not out off 55 balls) and Will Jacks (46 off 22) in 7.1 overs for the opening stand to power the side.
MI skipper Hardik Pandya scored a valuable 31 off 15 balls before being dismissed.
Praful Hinge (2/54), Eshan Malinga (1/29), Sakib Hasan (1/39) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (1/31) were the wicket-takers for SRH.
Brief Scores:
Mumbai Indian: 243 for 5 in 20 overs (Ryan Rickelton 123 not out; Praful Hinge 2/54).
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 249 for 4 in 18.4 overs (Travis Head 76, Heinrich Klaasen 65 not out; AM Ghazanfar 2/51).
