The Central Government has been asked by Delhi High Court to respond on petition filed by a woman for permission to travel to Yemen for paying blood money to save her daughter from gallows in the foreign country.
The counsel representing Indian Government has asked for two weeks’ time for responding on the same.
The bench of Justice Subramonium Prasad has listed the matter for hearing on November 16.
Premakumari, the mother of nurse Nimisha Priya, has sought directions for permitting her to travel to Yemen despite the travel ban. Priya, who was working as a nurse, has been sentenced to death in Yemen for murder of Yemeni citizen Talal Abdo Mahdi.
The counsel representing Premakumari told the Court that the only way to save her daughter from the gallows is to negotiate with the family of the deceased by paying blood money. She has to travel to Yemen for that purpose, the counsel said.
“Due to travel ban, the petitioner is unable to travel to Yemen,” the Court was told.
Last year, Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council also approached the Court for diplomatic intervention in the case.
The Central government had then assured the Court that proactive steps will be taken to institute an appeal before the next appellate forum in accordance with the law in Yemen.
While disposing of that case, the Court had made it clear that it cannot command the Union government to be party to any intervention or negotiations which the family proposes to initiate.
However, a co-ordinate bench in that order had requested the Ministry of External Affairs to take appropriate measures to facilitate the family’s travel and provide them interpreters, if required.
Advocates Subhash Chandran and Krishna LR represented the petitioner
Advocates Pavan Narang, Shaurya Rai, Himanshu Sethi and Aishwarya Chhabra represented the respondents.