Nimisha Priya to be released: KA Paul claims cancellation of death sentence in Yemen
New Delhi/Sanaa: Indian nurse Nimisha Priya, who was sentenced to death in Yemen for the murder of a Yemeni national, is reportedly set to be released following sustained interventions by Indian and Yemeni interlocutors. However, there has been no official confirmation yet from the Government of India, her family, or the Yemeni authorities.
Evangelist and Global Peace Initiative founder Dr. K.A. Paul, speaking from Sanaa on Tuesday night (local time), claimed that Priya’s execution has been cancelled and that preparations are underway for her repatriation. In a video message, Dr. Paul thanked Yemeni leaders and expressed appreciation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his support in the diplomatic efforts. “By God’s grace, she will be released and returned to India. I want to thank Prime Minister Modi ji for preparing to send your diplomats and for arranging her safe return,” he said.
He further added that logistical arrangements are being discussed to bring Priya back to India via Oman, Jeddah, Egypt, Iran, or Turkiye.
Priya, a 37-year-old nurse from Kerala, was convicted in a Yemeni court for the murder of her former employer. Her death sentence was upheld by Yemen’s Supreme Judicial Council in November 2023, with the execution scheduled for July 16, 2025.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had previously confirmed its involvement in the case. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had noted that legal assistance was provided to Priya’s family, including the appointment of a lawyer to pursue clemency under Yemen’s Sharia law. Regular consular access was also ensured, with the Indian government maintaining communication with local authorities regarding her welfare.
Religious leaders played a key role in influencing the outcome. The Grand Mufti of India, Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad Kanthapuram, stated that he appealed to Yemeni Islamic scholars to accept Diya (blood money) as permitted under Islamic law. “I did not see her religion but her humanity. I requested they accept Diya, and after my appeal, the execution was postponed,” he told ANI.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had earlier welcomed the deferral of the execution and acknowledged the efforts of the Grand Mufti, the Action Council, and civil society members in supporting Priya’s case.
With her return now reportedly being coordinated, official sources indicate that diplomatic formalities are still ongoing. Further updates from the Ministry of External Affairs are awaited.
BIG BREAKING NEWS. Indian Nurse Nimisha Priya from Sanaa , Yemen Prison will be released . English & Telugu . pic.twitter.com/oAbX5LABly
— Dr KA Paul (@KAPaulOfficial) July 21, 2025
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Single higher education regulator bill tabled in LS; Oppn flags ‘centralisation,' JPC likely
New Delhi: A bill to set up a 13-member body to regulate institutions of higher education was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan introduced the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, which seeks to establish an overarching higher education commission along with three councils for regulation, accreditation, and ensuring academic standards for universities and higher education institutions in India.
Meanwhile, the move drew strong opposition, with members warning that it could weaken institutional autonomy and result in excessive centralisation of higher education in India.
The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, earlier known as the Higher Education Council of India (HECI) Bill, has been introduced in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
The proposed legislation seeks to merge three existing regulatory bodies, the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), into a single unified body called the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan.
At present, the UGC regulates non-technical higher education institutions, the AICTE oversees technical education, and the NCTE governs teacher education in India.
Under the proposed framework, the new commission will function through three separate councils responsible for regulation, accreditation, and the maintenance of academic standards across universities and higher education institutions in the country.
According to the Bill, the present challenges faced by higher educational institutions due to the multiplicity of regulators having non-harmonised regulatory approval protocols will be done away with.
The higher education commission, which will be headed by a chairperson appointed by the President of India, will cover all central universities and colleges under it, institutes of national importance functioning under the administrative purview of the Ministry of Education, including IITs, NITs, IISc, IISERs, IIMs, and IIITs.
At present, IITs and IIMs are not regulated by the University Grants Commission (UGC).
Government to refer bill to JPC; Oppn slams it
The government has expressed its willingness to refer it to a joint committee after several members of the Lok Sabha expressed strong opposition to the Bill, stating that they were not given time to study its provisions.
Responding to the opposition, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government intends to refer the Bill to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for detailed examination.
Congress Lok Sabha MP Manish Tewari warned that the Bill could result in “excessive centralisation” of higher education. He argued that the proposed law violates the constitutional division of legislative powers between the Union and the states.
According to him, the Bill goes beyond setting academic standards and intrudes into areas such as administration, affiliation, and the establishment and closure of university campuses. These matters, he said, fall under Entry 25 of the Concurrent List and Entry 32 of the State List, which cover the incorporation and regulation of state universities.
Tewari further stated that the Bill suffers from “excessive delegation of legislative power” to the proposed commission. He pointed out that crucial aspects such as accreditation frameworks, degree-granting powers, penalties, institutional autonomy, and even the supersession of institutions are left to be decided through rules, regulations, and executive directions. He argued that this amounts to a violation of established constitutional principles governing delegated legislation.
Under the Bill, the regulatory council will have the power to impose heavy penalties on higher education institutions for violating provisions of the Act or related rules. Penalties range from ₹10 lakh to ₹75 lakh for repeated violations, while establishing an institution without approval from the commission or the state government could attract a fine of up to ₹2 crore.
Concerns were also raised by members from southern states over the Hindi nomenclature of the Bill. N.K. Premachandran, an MP from the Revolutionary Socialist Party representing Kollam in Kerala, said even the name of the Bill was difficult to pronounce.
He pointed out that under Article 348 of the Constitution, the text of any Bill introduced in Parliament must be in English unless Parliament decides otherwise.
DMK MP T.M. Selvaganapathy also criticised the government for naming laws and schemes only in Hindi. He said the Constitution clearly mandates that the nomenclature of a Bill should be in English so that citizens across the country can understand its intent.
Congress MP S. Jothimani from Tamil Nadu’s Karur constituency described the Bill as another attempt to impose Hindi and termed it “an attack on federalism.”
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