Lifeline for Nimisha Priya: Execution Delayed after Grand Mufti’s Intervention

In a dramatic turn of events, India’s Grand Mufti, Sheikh Aboobacker Musliyar, has played a pivotal role in securing a temporary reprieve for Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya, who was scheduled to be executed in Yemen on Wednesday.

Nimisha Priya, a nurse from Palakkad, Kerala, was convicted of murdering her Yemeni business partner, Talal Abdo Mahdi, and sentenced to death in 2018. After years of appeals and legal setbacks, the Yemeni authorities had fixed July 16, 2025, as the date for her execution.

In a statement released to the media, Sheikh Kanthapuram confirmed that his direct appeal to Yemeni religious scholars helped secure a postponement of the execution. “After I requested that they intervene and take action, the scholars met, discussed, and stated that they would do what they could. They have officially informed us and sent a document stating that the date of execution has been postponed, which will help facilitate the ongoing discussions,” he said.

The influential cleric also stated that he had informed the Government of India and sent a formal communication to the Prime Minister’s Office regarding the intervention and the latest developments.

Nimisha Priya moved to Yemen in 2008 and initially worked at a government-run hospital in the capital, Sana’a. Later, she left her job and invested her savings to open the Al Aman Medical Clinic. As Yemeni law mandates local ownership in such ventures, she partnered with Yemeni national Talal Abdo Mahdi.

However, the business relationship soon turned sour. According to accounts presented by her family and supporters, Mahdi allegedly confiscated her passport, isolated her from her family in India, and subjected her to ongoing threats.

In a desperate attempt to retrieve her documents, Priya is said to have sedated Mahdi, a move that tragically led to his death. She was arrested in 2017 and sentenced to death by a Yemeni court in 2018. Her final appeal was dismissed by Yemen’s Supreme Judicial Council in November 2023.

Priya’s family, legal team, coalition of Indian activists and the Indian government, are taking every possible step to prevent the execution.

The only legal avenue available under Yemen’s Sharia-based legal system is a Diyah, or blood-money settlement, with the victim’s family. Negotiations for such a settlement are currently ongoing, and the postponement secured by Sheikh Kanthapuram has provided a critical window for further dialogue.

The intervention by the Grand Mufti offers a renewed sense of hope into a case that has drawn widespread attention in India and abroad. As talks with Yemeni religious leaders and the victim’s family continue, India watches closely, hoping to save the nurse from execution.