The Centre informed the Supreme Court on Monday that it has limited means to intervene in the case of Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya, who faces execution in Yemen on July 16. Attorney General R Venkataramani said India's diplomatic reach is restricted as Yemen is not officially recognised, and added that the "blood money" being negotiated by Priya's family is a private matter. He stressed that the government has done all it can within its constraints.
00:00Time is running out for young nurse in Yemen and that's because she's likely to be executed in the days to come in fact we are told in the next one or two days itself but the center has responded the government of the center earlier as well had been in touch with the Yemen authorities have now reached out to Yemen but center says there is no headway.
00:24Communication to Yemen TGS happened this morning as well and center has said to the Supreme Court that we cannot act beyond the limit remember it's after all the laws of Yemen as well India has tried best to be able to at least give her a safe passage just to let you know Indian nurse Nimisha's execution is scheduled for Wednesday that is in the next two days 16 July and India has tried best to be able to at least give her a safe passage.
00:53be able to at least bring in any kind of stop to it but that's not happening she's accused of in fact convicted now of killing a Yemeni national many say it was because she wanted her passport back her passport was being denied by the Yemeni national where in whose supervision she was working refused to return her passport which means she was not able to carry out or return to India and that's when she took the step.
01:22Anisha Mathur joins me for the latest on that Anisha the matter appears to have reached the court what are we picking up on this time clearly is running out on this.
01:30Well yes Pooja it's a very very shocking and very sad case where this young woman who was in Yemen for work her passport was taken away by her employer she was allegedly also abused that is what was there in the petition that was filed before the Supreme Court where good Samaritans who have formed a safe Nimisha Priya NGO are trying to at least get money together to pay off the blood money because Yemeni
02:00law allows the law allows the family of the accused or the convict to pay off pay pay blood money to the family of the deceased or the victim and get the case settled but here we are seeing that this family is the family of the person that Nimisha Priya allegedly killed is not agreeing.
02:19And even today in the Supreme Court the Attorney General informed the court that the government of India has tried a number of channels both diplomatic as well as private channels they've gone through private persons they've tried their best to get this matter sorted out.
02:36What the Supreme Court was being asked to do and this is the petition that was before the court that there should be directions to the government to take all possible steps to get her back or at least get the execution delayed.
02:50But with the Attorney General clearly stating before the Supreme Court today that we've taken all possible actions you cannot ask the government to go beyond what our capacity is.
03:00This is not a state issue, this is not a diplomatic issue, it is something that the family has to agree to, the family of the deceased has to agree to and therefore this has the, we've gotten involved with the Sheikh who is influential there but it is not working out.
03:17We're trying informal communications to at least get this execution put in abeyance but this is not something that seems to be working out.
03:25Interestingly the Attorney General also telling the court that an official from the MEA has been briefing him even this morning there was some communication with the Yemeni authorities but so far there seems to be no way out for Nimesha Priya.
03:40The Supreme Court also expressing its concerns saying that this is a very sad case something needs to be done but there is very little that can actually be done in a situation like this and therefore the court has asked now that we hear this matter.
03:52Can we also say that she took this extreme step only because she was facing assault, discrimination and couldn't even get her passport back remember which means she couldn't return to her family and was forced to take this step.
04:06So we'll be tracking more on this two days to go, can anything happen at all in the next 48 hours to save her life.
04:12As Nimesha Vijay is from Kerala, Kerala Chief Minister Pindarai Vijayan has written to the Prime Minister to save her life.
04:25He has said and I quote it here from the letter, urge Prime Minister Modi to intervene and save Nimesha Priya.
04:31Kerala Chief Minister has written a letter to Prime Minister Modi for an urgent intervention to secure the release.
04:37Remember it's in 48 hours that she will be executed by Yemen authorities.
04:41I want to bring in my colleague Shivamol K.G. from Trivunathpuram.
04:44Shivamol, it's such a tragic case because you can understand that the woman took a certain step only as a final resort.
04:50There was apparently abuse and assault also she was being subjected to.
04:55What are we picking up about what the Chief Minister is saying and can anything be done in 48 hours left now?
05:01Well, Pooja, what we are understanding is despite Chief Minister Pindarai Vijayan, her mother who is in Yemen has also filed an application asking for an extension to, you know, to conduct this execution which is scheduled on July 16th.
05:20That's what the latest information that we are picking up.
05:24The only solution that's in front of her is the blood money which needs to be accepted by the victim's family.
05:30You know, since the last many years they have been trying, the Save Nimesha Priya Action Team Council has been trying their best to convince the family to accept the blood money.
05:39They had offered around $1 million as blood money.
05:43They have not yet accepted it.
05:44They tried to negotiate in the last many days also.
05:47So, even now there's no positive response from the family is what we are understanding.
05:51The Action Council members are saying we don't know exactly if they are waiting for the family, the Action Council to increase the blood money amount.
05:58If that is the case, then they are ready for that also is what the Action Council team is saying.
06:02Nimesha's family here, her husband, we had spoken to her husband last week.
06:05He seemed in a very disturbed situation.
06:07He was there with her in Yemen a few years before this incident took place.
06:12He had to come back as they had some financial issues and all that.
06:15He seemed a very disturbed person.
06:17He was meeting, he had met the Governor, he had met all the officials possible from Chief Minister to all the Ministers.
06:23Everybody in the state, including Chief Minister, Opposition Leader, the MPs from the state have all written to Prime Minister as well as External Affairs Minister,
06:31hoping that there will be some positive sign from Yemen.
06:35But like I pointed out, the main important factor is the major hope is the family.
06:39Can the circumstances in this case be understood and can her life be saved?
06:44But eventually, remember, let's also be honest and clear here, it's about Yemen's laws and how they see this case.
06:51Eventually, they'll take the decision on that.
