In a major development in the Nimisha Priya case, her death sentence has now been completely overturned, according to a statement from the office of Indian Grand Mufti Kanthapuram AP Abubakar Musliyar. However, the office added that it has yet to receive official written communication from Yemeni authorities. The decision was taken during a high-level meeting in Sanaa, Yemen, where senior Yemeni scholars — appointed by Sheikh Umar Hafeel Thangal at the request of the Indian Grand Mufti — mediated with the rulers of Northern Yemen and international diplomats. The meeting concluded with the complete cancellation of the death sentence, which had earlier been scheduled for execution on July 16 but was temporarily suspended. According to Musliyar’s office, some key decisions regarding the case have been made, though further deliberations are expected. Remaining matters — including a resolution with the family of the murdered Yemeni national, Talal — will be finalised through continued discussions. Who Is Nimisha Priya? Nimisha Priya is a 37-year-old nurse from Kerala who moved to Yemen in 2008 in search of better job prospects. Like many Indian nurses working overseas, her decision was driven by financial needs back home. She began working at a private hospital in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a. In 2015, Nimisha partnered with a Yemeni national named Mahdi to help manage a medical clinic. Yemeni regulations restrict foreign nationals from independently owning such establishments, so Mahdi’s role was essential on paper. However, Nimisha later alleged that the partnership turned abusive. According to her and her supporters, Mahdi withheld her passport, misused clinic funds, physically abused her, and limited her freedom. In July 2017, in an effort to retrieve her passport, Nimisha injected Mahdi with sedatives. The dose turned out to be fatal. In a state of panic, she and a colleague dismembered Mahdi’s body and disposed of the remains in a water tank to hide the incident. She was apprehended at a border checkpoint in August 2017. The following year, a Yemeni criminal court sentenced her to death, stating that she had administered drugs without authorisation, caused Mahdi’s death, and tried to conceal the act—indicating clear intent, according to the court. Nimisha’s appeals were dismissed by higher courts, and in November 2023, Yemen’s Supreme Judicial Council upheld the death penalty. With Houthi rebels now in control of Yemeni institutions, the execution was officially scheduled for July 16, 2025.