New Delhi, July 29 (UNI) Amid reports about cancellation of the death sentence of Nimisha Priya — an Indian national sentenced to death in 2020 by a Yemeni court for the murder of her business partner, Talal Abdo Mahdi — official sources today said such information was inaccurate and did not reflect the current status of the matter.
Recently, a statement from the office of Indian grand mufti Kanthapuram AP Abubacker Musliyar claimed that “the death sentence of Nimisha Priya, which was previously suspended, has been overturned.” The statement further said that a high-level meeting held in Sanaa had decided to “completely cancel the death sentence that was temporarily suspended earlier.”
However, official sources have indicated that this information is not accurate.
Addressing the media on July 17, official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Randhir Jaiswal, described the matter as “sensitive” and emphasized that the government was providing all possible assistance.
“This is a very sensitive matter, and the government of India has been offering all possible assistance in the case,” Jaiswal said during the weekly briefing. “We have provided legal support and appointed a lawyer to assist the family. Regular consular visits by her family have also been facilitated, and we are in constant touch with local authorities in Yemen, as well as with the family members.”
Nimisha Priya, 38, is a native of Kerala’s Palakkad district. She moved to Yemen in 2008 in search of better employment opportunities. A trained nurse by profession, she later entered into a business partnership with Yemeni national Talal Abdo Mahdi, and together they ran a clinic in the capital, Sanaa.
Jaiswal added that the government had made concerted efforts in recent days to secure more time for Nimisha Priya’s family to reach a mutually agreeable solution with the victim’s family — a provision permitted under the Yemeni law, which incorporates elements of Sharia.
Local authorities in Yemen have postponed the execution, which was originally scheduled for July 16, following India’s diplomatic intervention.
“We continue to closely follow the matter and render all possible assistance,” Jaiswal said. “We are also in touch with some friendly governments, seeking a favourable outcome.”
Meanwhile, Abdul Fattah Mahdi, the brother of slain Yemeni businessman Talal Abdo Mahdi, has demanded the immediate execution of Nimisha Priya.
In a social media post, Abdul Fattah shared a formal letter addressed to the attorney general of Yemen, stating “his family continues to seek full enforcement of the retributive justice verdict without delay”. He also refuted claims made by the office of Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliyar that an agreement had been reached during a meeting reportedly attended by Yemeni officials.
