Nimisha Priya Death Sentence: Family Offers Rs.8 Crores as Bloody Money- What is It?

The family of Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya, who was found guilty of killing a Yemeni national in 2017, has made a last-ditch plea for clemency by offering $1 million (roughly ₹8.6 crore) as "blood money" to the victim's family to spare her life, according to multiple reports, with just three days left before her scheduled execution.

Blood money, also known as "diyya," is the term used in Islamic Sharia law to describe monetary reparations made by the accused to the victim's family in cases of heinous crimes like murder. Sharia law makes a distinction between purposeful and unintentional (by mistake) homicide.

Kerala Nurse Nimisha Priya Case: What is Blood Money? 

According to various reports, the concepts of diyat (blood money) and qisas (retaliation) were created to put an end to never-ending cycles of retaliatory homicides motivated by tribal hostility. According to Tellenbach, the main goals of these penalties are retribution and the restoration of social equilibrium. Countries including Yemen, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Pakistan have explicit legal rules that regulate the diyya procedure, according to the World Legal Information Institute (WorldLII). Legal repercussions or the imposition of qisas may result from nonpayment of diyya.

In many Islamic nations, the victim's country, gender, and religion determine the amount of compensation. However, accepting blood money does not always clear the accused of all accusations; states may still impose penalties like fines to uphold law and order. Yemen applies qisas and diyya in accordance with the principles of Islamic law, especially those of the Hanbali and Shafi’i schools of jurisprudence.

A plea asking the Supreme Court to order the Center to use diplomatic channels to safeguard an Indian nurse facing death for murder accusations in Yemen on July 16 was accepted. After advocate Subhash Chandran KR highlighted the pressing need to seek diplomatic routes, a bench consisting of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi set the hearing for July 14. He contended that the relatives of the deceased may forgive the Kerala nurse if they pay blood money.

In 2017, the court found Nimisha Priya, a 38-year-old nurse from Kerala's Palakkad district, guilty of killing her Yemeni business partner. In 2020, she received a death sentence, and in 2023, her last appeal was denied.