The Supreme Court of India is set to hear a petition on Monday, July 14, seeking urgent diplomatic intervention by the Central Government to save Nimisha Priya, an Indian nurse from Kerala, who is facing imminent execution in Yemen.

The matter has been listed before a Bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, as per the causelist published on the top court’s website.

The petition has been filed by the Save Nimisha Priya Action Council, urging the government to initiate talks with Yemeni authorities and the victim's family for the payment of diya (blood money), a provision available under Sharia law that may allow commutation of the death sentence.

The issue was brought up for urgent hearing on Thursday before a Bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi, which directed that the matter be listed on July 14. The Court also directed that a copy of the petition be served to the Attorney General of India, requesting the Union Government to apprise the Court of the steps taken in the matter, given its urgency.

Nimisha Priya, a nurse from the Palakkad district in Kerala, moved to Yemen in 2008 to support her family. After working in various hospitals, she eventually started her own clinic. In 2017, a conflict reportedly arose between her and her Yemeni business partner, Talal Abdo Mahdi, over alleged financial misappropriation.

According to her family, Nimisha injected Mahdi with sedatives in an attempt to retrieve her passport, which he had allegedly confiscated. The incident led to Mahdi’s death due to a suspected overdose. Nimisha was arrested while trying to leave Yemen and was later convicted of murder.

A trial court in Sanaa sentenced her to death in 2020, a verdict upheld by the country’s Supreme Judicial Council in November 2023. However, the court reportedly left open the possibility of a negotiated settlement through diya.

Nimisha’s mother, Prema Kumari, has been actively campaigning for a reprieve, including making a trip to Yemen to engage with the victim’s family. Her efforts have garnered support from the Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council, a network of NRI social workers operating in Yemen and other regions.

With her execution tentatively scheduled for July 16, the petition before the Supreme Court seeks immediate diplomatic engagement to prevent the carrying out of the sentence.