New Delhi, July 14, 2025 : Influential Sunni cleric and Grand Mufti of India, Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliyar, is making urgent efforts to save Indian nurse Nimisha Priya from execution in Yemen, as her scheduled hanging on July 16 draws closer.
Sources confirmed on Monday that the 94-year-old cleric, also known as Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad, has initiated discussions with Yemen’s religious authorities, who are liaising with the family of Talal Abdo Mahdi, the Yemeni businessman Priya allegedly murdered in 2017.
Negotiations have reportedly touched upon the possibility of blood money a financial compensation under Shariah law that could spare Priya’s life. Details of the discussions have been shared with parties in Kerala, though there’s been no official confirmation on the progress.
An office has been established at Musliyar’s headquarters in Kerala to coordinate the negotiations.
Priya, from Palakkad district, was sentenced to death in 2020, with her final appeal rejected in 2023. She remains incarcerated in Sanaa, Yemen’s capital.
Meanwhile, the Indian government told the Supreme Court that it is doing “utmost possible” to intervene but admitted it can do “nothing much” beyond engaging with influential local figures.
“The Government of India is trying its best,” Attorney General R. Venkataramani informed the bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, adding that talks with key Yemeni religious leaders are ongoing.
Priya’s case has sparked significant concern in India, with appeals from civil society and human rights groups seeking urgent diplomatic intervention.
