With the scheduled execution of Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya, sentenced to death in Yemen for the 2017 killing of a Yemeni national, temporarily postponed in Yemen, her family is now racing to raise Rs 8.6 crore ($1 million) as blood money. The case has put spotlight on a little-known but life-saving provision under Sharia law that has helped several Indians escape execution in the Gulf countries. She was scheduled for execution tomorrow (July 16).
Priya, convicted of murdering her Yemeni business partner Talal Abdo Mahdi in 2017, has been on death row since 2020. She remains imprisoned in Sanaa, the capital, which is under Houthi control and outside formal diplomatic reach.
On Monday, the Indian government told the Supreme Court that there was “nothing much” it could do beyond private efforts, given that India does not have diplomatic ties with the Iran-backed Houthis.
However, attorney general AG Venkataramani informed the Supreme Court that the government had “engaged with some sheikhs who are very influential people there” and had written to the local public prosecutor to request a temporary suspension of the execution.
The only hope now, the government added, lies in diyah, a financial compensation that may lead the victim's family to pardon the convict.
While this is the first such known case involving India and Yemen where blood money is being offered in a case in Yemen, it has been used successfully in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other Gulf countries to secure clemency for Indian citizens.
Priya’s legal team, supported by the NGO 'Save Nimisha Priya – International Action Council', told the court that her mother and a social worker are currently in Yemen negotiating with Mahdi’s family to accept blood money—a compensation recognised under Sharia law. The group has not sought government funding and says it will raise the funds independently. The court adjourned the matter to July 18, The Times of India reported.
What is blood money
Under Sharia law, which governs legal systems in several Islamic nations, diyah or blood money is a provision that allows a person convicted of murder or manslaughter to be pardoned if the victim’s family accepts monetary compensation. If accepted, it can lead to commutation of the death sentence or even complete acquittal, depending on the local law.
In this case, if it is offered and accepted, then the offender Nimisha Priya cannot be executed. Usually, they are also pardoned by the government.
The law which is followed by Yemen and also in other Islamic countries in different forms, such as in Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Pakistan, the victim’s legal heirs have the right to demand and accept this compensation.
Indians who escaped death giving diyah
Over the last two decades, several Indians facing execution, mostly labourers and workers, have been saved by community efforts, business donations, and diplomatic interventions using this provision.
In 2017, AS Sankaranarayanan, a man from Kerala, was released after serving eight years in a UAE prison for the accidental death of a Bangladeshi electrician at his residence. Though he had been ordered to pay 200,000 dirhams (around Rs 47 lakh now) as compensation, he could not afford the amount. It was not until his story was highlighted in the media that help began to pour in, culminating in Emirates Islamic Bank stepping in to pay the entire sum.
That same year, Limbadri, a man from Telangana, returned to India after nearly ten years on death row in Saudi Arabia, following the accidental killing of a Saudi citizen. His release was made possible through efforts led by BRS leader K Kavitha, who arranged for a local businessman to pay the diyah on his behalf.
In 2014, three Indians imprisoned in Saudi Arabia for the murder of a fellow Indian were released after spending six years on death row, following the payment of approximately Rs 1.12 crore by a Dubai-based businessman to the victim’s family.
In 2013, Saleem Basha, a truck driver from Bengaluru, who had been convicted for a 2006 road accident that killed nine people, narrowly avoided execution when King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia personally paid around Rs 1.5 crore as bloody money on his behalf.
In another notable case, Abdul Rahim, another Keralite, was sentenced to death in 2006 for allegedly murdering his employer’s son in Riyadh. A massive fundraising drive by his community collected Rs 34 crore, convincing the boy’s family to accept the compensation. Although the death penalty was lifted, Rahim was given a 20-year prison term, including time already served. He is expected to be released in December 2026.
In one of the most striking examples, Abdul Rahim, another Keralite, was sentenced to death in 2006 for allegedly killing his employer’s minor son in Riyadh. A massive fundraising drive by the Malayali community collected ₹34 crore, convincing the boy’s family to accept the compensation. Although the death penalty was lifted, Rahim was given a 20-year prison term, including time already served. He is expected to be released in December 2026.
Not always successful
Despite past success, there are instances where blood money was either ejected or negotiations failed.
In one such case in 2013, Sri Lankan domestic worker Rizana Nafeek was executed in Saudi Arabia despite international outrage and efforts to offer diya.
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