In a significant development, the Delhi High Court has granted permission to Prema Kumari, the mother of Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya, to travel to Yemen. This decision comes in the context of Nimisha Priya’s death sentence in Yemen for the murder of a Yemeni national. The court’s ruling allows Prema Kumari to negotiate the payment of blood money to the victim’s family in an effort to save her daughter from execution.
Nimisha Priya, a nurse from Kerala, was convicted of murdering Talal Abdo Mahdi in July 2017. The case alleges that Priya injected Mahdi with sedatives to retrieve her passport from him, leading to his overdose and death. Despite her appeal, Yemen’s Supreme Court upheld her death sentence, leaving the payment of blood money as her last resort to avoid execution.
The Delhi High Court’s decision, presided over by Justice Subramonium Prasad, is a response to the plea by Prema Kumari. It requires the Centre to relax the 2017 notification that prohibits Indian passport holders from traveling to Yemen. This relaxation is granted under the condition that Prema Kumari travels at her own risk and responsibility, without any liability to the Government of India or the state government.
Also read-Delhi High Court Discharges Engineer For Judiciary Remarks After Accepting Apology (lawchakra.in)
The court’s directive comes amidst the backdrop of India’s lack of diplomatic ties with Yemen and the closure of its embassy there. The Centre’s counsel informed the court of these constraints, highlighting the personal risk involved in the travel.
Prema Kumari will be accompanied by Samuel Jerome, an Indian national with over 24 years of experience working in Yemen, who has agreed to assist her in the negotiations. The court has asked Kumari to file an affidavit detailing her travel and return dates, emphasizing that she undertakes this journey at her own risk.
This development marks a critical juncture in the case of Nimisha Priya, as her mother embarks on a challenging journey to Yemen, hoping to secure her daughter’s release through the payment of blood money, a customary practice in some legal systems for compensating the family of a murder victim.
The case has garnered significant attention, with the ‘Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council’ previously approaching the high court for intervention. The unfolding events continue to highlight the complexities and challenges in international legal matters, especially in cases involving citizens abroad facing severe legal consequences.