The case has once again spotlighted the Centre’s response to Nimisha Priya’s situation, with the Action Council criticising the Union Government for its allegedly uncoordinated handling of the matter
Published Jul 13, 2025 | 10:46 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 13, 2025 | 10:46 PM
Unverified reports hinder real efforts to save Nimisha Priya.
Synopsis: The Supreme Court will hear a plea on July 14 urging the Centre to take urgent diplomatic action to save Nimisha Priya, an Indian nurse facing execution in Yemen. Filed by the Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council, the petition highlights a media report suggesting her execution is scheduled for July 16 and calls for immediate government intervention
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday, 14 July, a plea urging the Central Government to take urgent diplomatic steps to save Nimisha Priya, an Indian nurse facing execution in Yemen. A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta will hear the matter.
The petition was filed by the Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council, a collective that has been actively providing legal aid and leading public campaigns to prevent her execution.
The petition cites a media report indicating that Yemeni authorities have tentatively fixed 16 July as the execution date.
Advocate Subhash Chandran, appearing for the Action Council, mentioned the matter for urgent listing on 10 July. He emphasised the need for swift diplomatic intervention and called on the court to direct the Centre to immediately engage with Yemeni authorities.
Citing Shariat law, Chandran said the legal provision of “blood money” — financial compensation paid to the victim’s family in exchange for a pardon — may offer the only viable path to save Nimisha’s life.
Responding to the urgency of the matter, the bench instructed that a copy of the petition be submitted to the Attorney General and sought his legal opinion.
The case has drawn renewed attention to the Centre’s handling of Nimisha Priya’s situation. The Action Council has criticised the Union Government for what it calls a lack of coordinated and transparent efforts.
In particular, the council condemned a statement by Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh in the Rajya Sabha, in which he claimed that $40,000 had already been paid to the victim’s family as blood money.
Subhash Chandran refuted this claim, clarifying that the amount in question was merely a “pre-negotiation fee” routed through a government account and had not reached the family of the deceased.
He raised serious concerns about the fund’s status and accused the government of misleading Parliament and the public.
Chandran also rejected the government’s assertion that it had done “everything possible” to save Nimisha Priya, stating that facts on record tell a different story.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has forwarded the petition to the Attorney General’s office, which has reportedly asked the Centre to provide a detailed account of the diplomatic and legal steps taken so far in the case.
(Edited by Ananya Rao with inputs from Sreelakshmi Soman)
