Mother of Indian nurse on death row in Yemen seeks to pay 'blood money'; Delhi HC turns to centre

The Delhi High Court has sought the central government's stand on whether the mother of Nimisha Priya, a Malayali nurse who has been sentenced to death in Yemen, can travel to the war-ravaged country to secure her daughter's freedom by paying blood money or 'diyah'.

Justice Subramonium Prasadpresiding over the case granted time till December 11 to the government to come up with a response. Meanwhile, the counsel appearing for Priya's mother Prema Kumari has been asked to file an affidavit carrying proper details about the persons who will be willing to accompany her to Yemen to negotiate the deal.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

The 34-year-old nurse from Kerala is facing a death sentence after she was convicted of murdering Talal Abdo Mahidi in July 2017, when she allegedly injected him with sedatives to get hold of her passport from him.

As Yemen follows Sharia law, Priya can secure a pardon from the victim's family by payingdiyah. Islamic countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan and UAE also have 'diyah' as part of their modern-day legal system.

Watch | Gravitas: India nurse's appeal against death penalty dismissed by Yemen court

No India-Yemen diplomatic ties

The Indian government, however, doesn't seem too interested in the demand put forth by Priya's mother. The counsel said India does not have any diplomatic ties with Yemen and sending the mother may lead to a dangerous situation where even her safety is compromised.

“Today they want to go there to negotiate blood money. We don’t want to get it converted into a ransom demand situation. There is no Indian presence there. The Embassy there is closed except one or two clerical local persons who are there just to collect letters and send them to where our Embassy is,” the Indian government counsel was quoted as saying by LiveLaw.

Yemeni capital Sana'a is controlled by the Houthi rebels who have been locked in a civil war with the official government, based in-exile in Saudi Arabia. New Delhi does not recognise the Houthis so a trip for any Indian citizen looks highly unlikely.

However, that hasn't deterred Priya's mother who says she will do everything in her ability to get her daughter free.

"I will go to Yemen and seek their forgiveness. I will apologise to them, I'll tell them, take my life but please spare my daughter. Nimisha has a young daughter who needs her mother," Kumari, who lives in the southern Indian city of Kochi, told BBC.

Nimisha was barely 19 when she left for Yemen to work as a nurse in a government-run hospital. She returned to India in 2011 and married Tomy Thomas with whom she has a daughter.

(With inputs from agencies)