Nimisha Priya's execution postponed: Grand Mufti steps in

When all efforts proved in vain, faith had its own way. The Grand Mufti of India intervened before the Kerala nurse's execution in Yemen for killing her business partner. The execution scheduled for July 16 has been postponed after the Grand Mufti stepped in.

Nimisha Priya's execution postponed: Grand Mufti steps in

Nimisha Priya was ordered to be executed in Yemen for killing her Yemeni business partner Talal Abdo Mahdi

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Highlights

  • Indian Nurse Nimisha Priya's execution postponed
  • This follows after intervention of the Grand Mufti of India
  • Grand Mufti states that he had to intervene because of the limited diplomatic engagement of the Indian Government in Yemen

Indian Nurse Nimisha Priya's execution in Yemen, scheduled for today, July 16, has been postponed after persistent efforts of the Indian Government and after the final intervention of 'The Grand Mufti of India'. The Kerala-based nurse's execution is reportedly postponed due to the key role played by Grand Mufti Sheikh Kantapuram AP Aboobacker Musliyar. With the postponement, the Grand Mufti has urged authorities in Yemen to have discussions with the victim's family. He urged that Islam has another law, wherein the victim's family pardons the accused. 

The Grand Mufti's intervention

The Grand Mufti, in a statement issued by Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliyar, who is also known as Sheikh Abubakr Ahmed, stated that he had to intervene in the matter because there was limited diplomatic engagement of India with Yemen. Adding further that it was a 'national responsibility'. 

The statement read, "I decided to intervene in this matter with the firm conviction that it is a national responsibility to seek a humane resolution when an Indian citizen awaits execution in a foreign country. India has, in the past, seen positive outcomes from similar interventions in Gulf countries and beyond. Given that Yemen is a region with which India presently has limited diplomatic engagement, I felt that such an effort is indeed required of us."  

The Grand Mufti was contacted by Puthuppally MLA Chandy Oommen. After learning about the case, the Grand Mufti got in talks with globally known Sufi scholar Habib Umar Bin Hafeez. Mentioning this, Ahmed wrote in his statement, "Upon receiving the information, he immediately expressed readiness to look into the matter officially and assured that a response would follow without a delay. His office contacted the North Yemeni authorities and the victim's family, initiating reconciliation efforts." 

Nimisha Priya's execution

Nimisha Priya, a nurse from India, has been convicted of killing a Yemeni national named Talal Abdo Mahdi in July 2017. The conviction was handed down in 2020. The Houthis' Supreme Judicial Council upheld her punishment in 2023, rejecting her bail plea. Nimisha Priya was placed on a death row, ordered for execution on July 16, 2025. 

 

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