Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya's death sentence cancelled, claims Indian Grand Mufti's office
PTC News Desk: The death sentence of Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya, convicted in a 2017 murder case in Yemen, has been fully overturned by Yemeni authorities, the office of Grand Mufti of India Kanthapuram AP Abubakar Musliyar said on Monday.
"The death sentence of Nimisha Priya, which was previously suspended, has been overturned. A high-level meeting held in Sanaa decided to completely cancel the death sentence that was temporarily suspended earlier," according to a statement issued by the Grand Mufti's office.
Nimisha Priya, a 38-year-old from Palakkad district in Kerala, moved to Yemen in 2008 in search of better job opportunities. A qualified nurse, she later partnered with a Yemeni citizen, Talal Abdo Mahdi, to co-manage a clinic in the capital, Sanaa. However, their relationship reportedly soured when Mahdi began harassing her, falsely claimed to be her husband, and took possession of her passport, effectively preventing her from returning to India.
In 2017, Priya allegedly attempted to recover her documents by sedating Mahdi, but the plan went tragically wrong when he died from a suspected drug overdose. She was arrested, convicted of murder in 2018, and sentenced to death by a Yemeni court in 2020.
Her case drew international attention, especially after Yemeni President Rashad al-Alimi and Houthi leader Mahdi al-Mashat approved the execution in late 2024 and early 2025. However, the execution was put on hold following continued diplomatic efforts by the Indian government and interventions from religious leaders.
- With inputs from agencies
