- By Vivek Raj
- Wed, 13 Dec 2023 10:47 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
The Delhi High Court has permitted the mother of Nimisha Priya, a Kerala nurse facing the death penalty in Yemen, to travel to the West Asian country for negotiations. Nimisha Priya was convicted of murdering a Yemeni national in 2018, and her family has sought a "blood money" deal, a compensation arrangement recognised under Yemen's Shariah law to secure her release.
The court's ruling, issued on Tuesday, acknowledges the travel ban imposed by the Centre in 2017, restricting Indian citizens from visiting Yemen without government permission. In response, the high court directed the Centre to relax its notification specifically for Nimisha's mother, Prema Kumari, to facilitate her journey to Yemen.
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Despite the absence of diplomatic ties between India and Yemen, the court considered the unique circumstances, highlighting that no international treaty currently applies to Yemen.
Nimisha's mother is now required to submit an affidavit, accepting personal risk and responsibility without implicating the Indian government.
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Nimisha Priya, who has been in prison since 2018, was sentenced to death by a Yemeni trial court for the murder of Talal Abdo Mahdi. The conviction stemmed from her attempt to retrieve her passport by injecting Mahdi with sedatives. With the Yemeni Supreme Court rejecting her appeal, the pursuit of a "blood money" agreement remains the family's only hope for securing her release.