SC allows Save Nimisha Priya Council to form mediation team for ‘diya’ talks
The court accepted the council’s plea and directed that the proposed team can proceed with the groundwork for initiating dialogue in Yemen
In a major development, the Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council has received the Supreme Court's permission to constitute a six-member diplomatic-mediation team to negotiate diya (blood money) with the family of the Yemeni murder victim.
The court accepted the council’s plea and directed that the proposed team, which includes representatives of both the council and prominent Islamic scholars, can proceed with the groundwork for initiating dialogue in Yemen.
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The delegation is tasked with reaching out to the victim’s family, offering a formal apology, and initiating diya negotiations, in an effort to secure a pardon and prevent the execution of Nimisha Priya, who was sentenced to death in Yemen in 2017.
As per the Action Council’s submission, the team will include: Two council representatives – Advocate Subhash Chandran K R (Supreme Court lawyer and legal advisor to the Council), Kunjahammed Koorachund (Council Treasurer); two representatives associated with the ongoing peace efforts by Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliyar – Advocate (Dr) Husain Saqafi (noted international Islamic scholar) and Hamid (a Yemeni-linked intermediary); and two officials to be nominated by the central government.
The Supreme Court’s order marks a critical step forward for the campaign, which has drawn widespread public support and international attention. The council is expected to begin coordination with the Ministry of External Affairs and other stakeholders immediately.
The case was heard on Friday (July 18) before Justice Vikram Nath’s bench, where it was listed as Item 29. The matter was also formally mentioned at 10.30 am by the Attorney General’s office. The court acknowledged the humanitarian nature of the appeal and allowed the formation of the proposed delegation.
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Priya, a nurse from Palakkad district of Kerala, was convicted of murdering her Yemeni business partner in 2017. She was sentenced to death in 2020, and her final appeal was rejected in 2023.
She is currently imprisoned in a jail in Sana'a, the capital of Yemen.