In a late-hour intervention, The notable Islamic scholar Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad, popularly called the ‘Grand Mufti of India’, has intervened decisively to halt the scheduled execution of Nimisha Priya, a nurse from Kerala, who was sentenced to death in Yemen.
The 94-year-old Muslim cleric, or Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliyar, responded to bids from politicians and humanitarian activists to take action. Reports state Sheikh Abubakr got in touch with religious scholars in Yemen upon request from Congress MLA Chandy Oommen. These scholars had been in contact with the family of the Yemeni national Talal Abdo Mahdi the victim of Priya’s murder in 2017 and they initiated efforts which, at a minimum, got Priya’s execution postponed.
Nimisha Priya was scheduled to be executed on July 16, 2025, in Sana’a, Yemen’s capital, but due to diplomatic and religious negotiations, her execution has now been postponed.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor lauded Sheikh Abubakr’s efforts on social media, describing them as a reminder of the power of compassion in divisive times. “Honourable Kanthapuram Ustad has shown us that humanity is the most important in today’s era,” Tharoor wrote on Facebook.
Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad, based in Kerala, holds deep influence among Sunni Muslims in India and South Asia. Though the title “Grand Mufti of India” is not officially recognised, he was conferred the title in 2019 at the Gareeb Nawaz Peace Conference in Delhi by the All India Tanzeem Ulama-e-Islam.
Under Islamic law in Yemen, families of murder victims can accept “blood money” as compensation in place of capital punishment. Sheikh Abubakr acknowledged this route and said he had reached out to religious leaders in Yemen to explore a pardon from the victim’s family. “Islam is a religion that places a lot of importance on humanity,” he said in a statement to ANI.
Negotiations regarding blood money have reportedly begun, and an office has now been set up at Sheikh Abubakr’s headquarters in Kerala to support the process.
Abubakr is no stranger to public activism. He previously opposed the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and called on the government to amend it to remove religion as a basis for citizenship. While he welcomed the Supreme Court’s Ram Janmabhoomi verdict in 2019, he urged India’s Muslim community to prioritise peace and unity.
Nimisha Priya, hailing from Palakkad, was convicted of murdering her Yemeni business partner and sentenced to death in 2020. Her final appeal was rejected in 2023. She has been imprisoned in Yemen’s Sana’a Central Prison since her arrest.
Meanwhile, the Indian government told the Supreme Court that it is doing “everything possible” to intervene. Attorney General R Venkataramani informed the bench that Indian officials are also in contact with influential figures in Yemen. “The Government of India is trying its best,” he said.
While the execution has been halted for now, efforts are continuing in India and Yemen to secure a lasting resolution.
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