Why ‘Grand Mufti of India’ stepped in to halt Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya's execution in Yemen

The execution of Nimisha Priya, scheduled for July 16, was postponed following intervention from Indian government and the 'Grand Mufti of India'

Updated on: Jul 16, 2025, 11:18:27 IST

By HT News Desk | Edited by Danita Yadav

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Indian nurse Nimisha Priya's execution in Yemen, which was scheduled for Wednesday, July 16, was postponed after intervention from the Indian government and the ‘Grand Mufti of India’.

Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya is on death row in Yemen for killing her Yemeni business partner Talal Abdo Mahdi. The Grand Mufti has urged Yemeni authorities to hold discussions with the victim's family to pardon the Indian woman. (File Pic/@shkaboobacker on X )

Grand Mufti Sheikh Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliyar played a key role in the postponement of the Kerala-based nurse's execution.

With this postponement window, the Grand Mufti has urged Yemeni authorities to hold discussions with the victim's family. According to Grand Mufti Sheikh, Islam has another law where the victim's family pardons the accused.

Why did the Grand Mufti intervene?

In a statement issued by Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliyar (also known as Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad), the Grand Mufti head stated that his intervention comes due to India's limited diplomatic engagement with Yemen.

He added that the Mufti's intervention comes due to “national responsibility”.

"I decided to intervene in this matter with the firm conviction that it is a national responsibility to seek a humane resolution when an Indian citizen awaits execution in a foreign country," he said in the statement.

Also Read: Nimisha Priya's execution in Yemen was planned for today: Why was it deferred?

"India has, in the past, seen positive outcomes from similar interventions in Gulf countries and beyond. Given that Yemen is a region with which India presently has limited diplomatic engagement, I felt that such an effort is indeed required of us," the Mufti added.

He stated that he was contacted by Puthuppally MLA Chandy Oommen. Upon learning about the case, the Grand Mufti then approached globally renowned Sufi scholar Habib Umar bin Hafeez.

"Upon receiving the information, he immediately expressed readiness to look into the matter officially and assured that a response would follow without delay. His office contacted the North Yemeni authorities and the victim’s family, initiating reconciliation efforts," Ahmad wrote in his statement.

Nimisha Priya was convicted in 2020 for killing Yemeni national Talal Abdo Mahdi in July 2017. In 2023, the Houthis' Supreme Judicial Council upheld her punishment and dismissed her plea for bail. She was placed on death row and was set to be executed on July 16, 2025.

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