The Supreme Court was informed on Friday that the execution of Nimisha Priya, an Indian nurse sentenced to death in Yemen for murder, has been stayed.

Appearing for the Centre, Attorney General R Venkataramani told a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta that efforts are ongoing to ensure Priya’s safe return. "They (the government) are taking good care of whatever is possible," the bench noted.

Counsel for the petitioner told the court that a pardon must be secured before the issue of paying "blood money" can be addressed. The petitioner also confirmed that Priya’s execution, initially scheduled for July 16, has been postponed.

The Court has listed the matter for further hearing on August 14.

Priya, a 38-year-old nurse from Kerala’s Palakkad district, was convicted in 2020 for the 2017 murder of her Yemeni business partner. Her final appeal was rejected in 2023, and she remains in custody at a prison in Sana’a, Yemen. The plea before the top court seeks diplomatic intervention by the Indian government to save her life.