The Centre on Tuesday informed the Delhi High Court that it will immediately initiate necessary steps for filing an appeal before the Supreme Court in Yemen, against the death sentence awarded to Nimisha Priya, an Indian nurse, who allegedly killed a Yemen national.
The single-judge bench of Justice Yashwant Varma was informed by the Counsel for the UOI Anurag Ahluwalia that the Government of India will facilitate travel permission and documentation for the team, which intends to travel to Yemen for “blood money” negotiations with the family of victim.
He also pointed out the practical difficulties of Indian authorities to participate in the negotiations directly as right now there is no embassy/consulate is functioning at Yemen and the Indian diplomatic functionaries are operating from Djibouti.
The court recorded the undertakings advanced by UOI and disposed the Petition. Mr. Subhash Chandran KR appeared for the Petitioner organisation “Save Nimishapriya-International Action Council.”
The Court was hearing the appeal filed to save Indian citizen Nimisha Priya, a Nurse by profession in Yemen, who was awarded death sentence in that country for killing Talal Abdo Mahdi, a Yemeni National, after injecting him with sedatives to get back her passport, which was in his possession. Nimisha had alleged abuse and torture by Mahdi.
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The plea, filed by the Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council, states that Nimisha has been held guilty of murder after she gave sedatives to a man, who took her passport and “kept her like a slave” in Yemen. The plea further said that the deceased physically and financially abused her, and locked away her passport, so she could not return to India.
Nimisha and a friend then gave sedatives to the deceased, leading to his death due to overdose.
The plea further said that due to socio-political situation in Yemen, traveling to that country is not allowed and there is no way for her family or well-wishers to visit Yemen and pay blood money to secure her release.
The petition sought directions to the MEA to “facilitate diplomatic interventions as well as negotiations with the family of victim on behalf of Nimisha Priya to save her life by paying blood money in accordance with the law of the land in a time-bound manner.
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The plea further sought directions to MEA to-
“immediately initiate necessary steps for filing a formal appeal before the Supreme Court / Supreme Judicial Council to save the life of Nimisha Priya, in accordance with the law of Yemen”
If the government is not able to secure an appeal, the plea has also sought permission to collect and send money to Yemen to pay “blood money” to the family of the deceased, so that she can avoid death penalty in Yemen.