'Only Nimisha Priya's family should talk to victim's family for pardon, no outsider', Centre tells SC

Nimisha Priya's execution has been halted for now

The Centre has told the Supreme Court that no outsider should be speaking to the family of Talal Abdo Mehdi and only Nimisha Priya's family should carry forward talks with the kin of the victim for pardon in the 2017 case. The Centre has said that the intervention of any outside organisation will likely be unfruitful in the case.

Attorney General R Venkataramani on Friday informed a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta as Senior Advocate Ragenth Basant, that the council that has been making attempts to save Nimisha Priya has sought permission to send a delegation to try and convince the family of the victim to pardon her in Yemen and free her of the death row that she is currently facing.

“I would personally advise… Her family has engaged a power of attorney. Family is the only, I think, entity which should be concerned with that. We are not talking about any outsider getting involved in it. Even with the best of intentions,” Venkataramani said.

The bench said in its order, “Petitioner wishes to make some representation to the government, which they are free to move. And once that representation is made, the government would consider it on its own merits.”

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Friday said that the government is taking good care of whatever is possible in the case pertaining to Nimisha Priya's execution in Yemen.

Nimisha Priya has been convicted of murdering a Yemen national Talal Abdo Mehdi in 2017, the Indian nurse is currently imprisoned in a jail in Yemeni capital Sana'a controlled by the Houthis. Her execution was postponed by Yemeni authorities on July 15.

Attorney General R Venkataramani also told the bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta that "efforts are on" in the matter. He said the government wants Priya to come back safely.

"They (government) are taking good care of whatever is possible," the bench observed.

The Indian nurse's family has to first get pardon and only then will the issue of 'blood money' would come, the counsel appearing for the petitioner informed the top court.