Kerala Cleric’s Claims on Nimisha Priya Death Row Case Proven Inaccurate, Officials Say

One Kerala-based cleric is claiming things about the case of a death row Indian in Yemen, Nimisha Priya, which are wrong and any opinions on this delicate issue need to be moral but not on this sensitive case, people aware of the issue told Winds of Change on Wednesday.

The issue was that the office of the Grand Mufti of India, Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musaliyar has claimed that Priya had her death sentence overruled. “We have seen reports making claims regarding the case of Nimisha Priya. These are incorrect,” one of the people cited above said on condition of anonymity.

“We would urge all to avoid misinformation and speculation on this sensitive matter,” the person said.

Also Read: Chartered Accountant Dies by Suicide in Delhi Airbnb After Inhaling Helium Gas: “Death Is Most Beautiful Part of Life”

Priya was to be executed on July 16 but this was delayed after Indian authorities as well as non resident Indians intervened and have been trying to seek break on the Indian nurse. The woman is an elderly woman aged 38 who happens to be in a prison in Sanaa, which is the Yemeni capital controlled by Houthi rebels.

According to the people, nothing substantial has happened in Priya case even after the execution was delayed.

Priya is a native of Kollengode in Palakkad district of Kerala and is convicted of murdering her Yemeni business partner by a Yemeni court and sentenced to death in 2020. In November 2023, her appeal was rejected by Yemen Supreme Judicial Council.

According to the external affairs ministry, which said this on July 17, it is continuing to liaise with the Yemeni authorities and some friendly countries to arrive at a mutually agreeable solution in the case of Priya. This has been complicated by the fact that India lacks diplomatic presence in Yemen yet the issue is being addressed through diplomats in the Indian mission in the Saudi Arabia.

Also Read: US Issues Tsunami Threat Alert for Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands & Vanuatu: Be Prepared to Seek Higher Ground

The ministry spokesperson has refused to say what part Musaliyar played in Priya execution postponement.

Indian authorities have been operating on the course of trying to block the execution process using the Islamic tradition known as the diyat or blood money equivalent given by the offender to the family of the victim. But the relatives of the Yemen man Talal Abdo Mahdi who Priya murdered, have stated that they will not settle on a compensation.

As things got uglier so far as personal and financial conflicts were concerned, when Mahdi refused to hand over her passport, Priya injected him with sedatives as an attempt to get her passport. He is said to have been dead as the result of an overdose.

Also Read: Amit Shah: All 3 Pahalgam Attackers Were “Shot in the Head” During Operation Mahadev