Kerala relieved as execution of nurse Nimisha Priya postponed amid united efforts

Yemeni authorities postponing the execution of Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya has brought relief to her family and others including the political leadership in the southern state, with hopes now raising about the death row prisoner escaping the gallows. Sources in New Delhi said the government of India has made concerted efforts in recent days to seek more time for Priya's family to reach a ''mutually agreeable'' solution with the other party, they said.

The husband of Nimisha Priya expressed relief and satisfaction on Tuesday over the postponement of her execution and hoped that the united efforts will continue to avert her execution altogether.

Besides her family, the political and religious leadership of Kerala also expressed satisfaction over the development.

The execution was originally scheduled for Wednesday. Priya, who hails from Kollengode in Kerala's Palakkad district, was found guilty of murdering a Yemeni citizen in July 2017.

''The execution has been postponed. That is good news. We are happy and relieved. I am sure efforts will continue to avert her execution and bring her back safely,'' her husband, Tomy Thomas, told PTI.

He thanked everyone who worked hard to support the cause.

Thomas said they have a daughter studying in class XIII, and that the child has been kept away from these developments.

He said he received the message about the postponement of the execution from Priya's mother.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan described the postponement of the execution as both comforting and filled with hope.

He said the decision has given Priya more time to seek relief from the death sentence.

Vijayan said development was made possible through the initiative and intervention of eminent Sunni Muslim scholar Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musliyar. Earlier, the cleric's office had said that last-minute efforts were being made to halt the scheduled execution of Priya on July 16, under the leadership of a Sufi scholar there, at the behest of Aboobacker Musliyar.

''It is the result of tireless efforts by kind-hearted individuals who embody compassion and brotherhood,'' the Chief Minister said.

He congratulated Kanthapuram and all those who are working for justice for Nimisha Priya, including the Action Council.

The chief minister also expressed hope that everyone's efforts would soon lead to a complete and successful resolution.

Congress MLA Chandy Oommen, who had approached several influential figures including Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar for intervention, said the latter made sincere efforts on humanitarian grounds.

''Beyond his role as a Governor, he acted as a fellow human being. His sincere efforts will never be forgotten by Kerala and its people. I thank him from the bottom of my heart,'' Oommen said, adding that the Governor reached out to foreign governments, businessmen, and officials.

''He did whatever he could,'' the Congress MLA said.

Followers of influential Sunni Muslim scholar Kanthapuram Aboobacker Musliyar said he continues to make sincere efforts to stop the execution.

Close confidante of Musliyar, Sayyid Ibrahimul Khaleelul Bukhari Thangal said that there are strong signs the execution may be averted.

''We are doing what is right and helpful. The information we are receiving suggests that the death sentence may be avoided. Efforts in that direction are progressing effectively, and Kanthapuram Ustad is actively involved. Our hope and prayer is that Nimisha Priya returns home and brings relief to everyone. We also sincerely hope that no one else in the world ever has to face such a fate,'' he told reporters.

Musliyar said he intervened in the matter as a human being. ''Islam is a religion that gives utmost importance to humanity, and this is a fact understood and acknowledged by scholars in Yemen,'' he told a press conference.

Meanwhile, in a video message to news channels, Samuel Jerome Baskaran-- a member of the Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council, who has been actively working for her release -- expressed gratitude.

He thanked the Government of India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Governor Arlekar, the Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia, its local staff, and Congress leader Chandy Oommen for their sincere efforts.

He said the postponement of the execution was made possible through the intervention of the influential Shaikh Abdul Malik Nahyan, who, according to him, is the head of the tribe of the victim.

Baskaran claimed that he had known about the decision (to postpone the execution since Sunday), but ''we were requested not to go public with it.'' In 2020, a Yemeni court handed Priya the death sentence and the country's Supreme Judicial Council dismissed her appeal in November 2023. The 38-year-old nurse is presently lodged in a jail in Sana'a, the Yemeni capital city that is under the control of Iran-backed Houthis. In Delhi, sources said the government of India has been rendering all possible assistance in the case since beginning.

Despite the sensitivities involved, Indian officials have been in regular touch with the local jail authorities and the prosecutor's office, leading to securing the postponement, the sources said.

Priya's mother Premakumari travelled to Yemen last year as part of efforts to secure her release.

The Indian side had even explored the option of securing Priya's release through ''diyat'' or paying ''blood money''. But that also ran into some problems, it is learnt.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)