Grand Mufti stands by claim of reprieve for Nimisha Priya; MEA denies any official confirmation

Grand Mufti Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliyar has reiterated his claim that the death sentence of Malayali nurse Nimisha Priya, who is on death row in Yemen for the alleged murder of Yemeni national Talal Abdo Mahdi, has been revoked by the Houthi militia.

The office of Kanthapuram Musliyar stated on Tuesday that it stands by its earlier announcement regarding the revocation of Nimisha Priya’s death sentence.

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An initial statement released by Kanthapuram’s office in Kozhikode on Monday claimed that her execution had been revoked, following a series of discussions involving scholars appointed by senior Yemeni Sufi cleric Sheikh Habib Omer bin Hafiz, representatives from Northern Yemen, and international diplomats.

However, a tweet from news agency ANI regarding the reprieve—which was shared by Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliyar on X (formerly Twitter)—was later removed from his social media handle.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday denied reports that the death sentence of Nimisha Priya had been officially revoked.

Nimisha Priya, a native of Kerala’s Palakkad district, had moved to Yemen in 2008 seeking better prospects. She entered into a business partnership with a Yemeni citizen, Talal Abdo Mahdi, and together they ran a clinic in the capital city of Sanaa.

The relationship deteriorated after Mahdi claimed to be her husband and reportedly subjected her to repeated abuse and assault. He also confiscated her passport, preventing her from returning to India.

In 2017, desperate to return home, Nimisha Priya attempted to sedate Mahdi. However, he died from a suspected drug overdose. She was arrested in 2018 and sentenced to death by a Yemeni court in 2020.

Her execution, initially scheduled for July 16, was postponed following the intervention of Grand Mufti Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliyar.