Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Jul 15: In a candid admission, the Central government informed the Supreme Court on Monday that it has exhausted all possible measures to intervene in the case of Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya, who faces imminent execution in Yemen for the alleged murder of a local citizen.

Appearing before a Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, Attorney General R. Venkataramani said, “There is nothing much the government can do. Yemen is not diplomatically recognised, and we have gone as far as we can.”

He explained that while a request was forwarded to Yemeni authorities to suspend the execution, it has not led to any concrete result. “We got an informal message that the execution might be put in abeyance, but we don’t know if that will happen,” he told the court.

The Supreme Court was hearing a plea filed by the Save Nimisha Priya Action Council, which has sought urgent directions to the Ministry of External Affairs to intervene using diplomatic or humanitarian channels, including through the payment of ‘diya’ or blood money as permitted under Sharia law.

Nimisha Priya has been in a Yemeni prison for three years after being convicted of murdering Talal Abdo Mehd. Media reports indicate that her execution could take place as soon as Wednesday, following the Yemeni President’s approval of her sentence.

The court, acknowledging the limitations in issuing orders that affect another sovereign country, adjourned the matter to July 18 and asked the Centre to file an updated status report.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to use his office to make a final attempt to save Priya’s life. Nimisha’s mother, Prema Kumari, has also travelled to Yemen, where she is negotiating directly with the victim’s family in hopes of securing a pardon through the payment of blood money.

Her campaign is being actively supported by the Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council, a collective of Indian-origin social workers and humanitarian advocates working in Yemen and elsewhere.

As diplomatic and legal options dwindle, Priya’s supporters are pushing for last-minute negotiations and humanitarian interventions. With time running out, they continue to appeal to the government and international agencies for any step that might delay or avert the execution.