“Right now, the only hope is that the family accepts the blood money,” said a source familiar with the developments. While there are still “grey areas,” the negotiation team is working with the understanding that July 16 could be the execution date.

An office has been opened at Musliyar’s headquarters in Kerala to coordinate these efforts, sources said. Negotiations are ongoing, and the details have been conveyed to stakeholders in Kerala. However, there has been no official confirmation from the victim’s family regarding their stance.

Under Shariah law, which governs criminal justice in Yemen, blood money is a form of legally sanctioned financial compensation to the family of a murder victim and is considered a valid alternative to capital punishment if accepted by the heirs.

Nimisha Priya was sentenced to death in 2020, and her final appeal was rejected in 2023. She remains imprisoned in Sanaa, the Yemeni capital.

Earlier today, the Government of India informed the Supreme Court that it has limited diplomatic levers to intervene in the matter. Appearing before a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, Attorney General R. Venkataramani said, “The Government of India is trying its best and has also engaged with some sheikhs who are very influential people there.”

With just hours left on the clock, the fate of Nimisha Priya now hinges entirely on the willingness of the victim’s family to accept the blood money offer,  a last hope in a high-stakes humanitarian effort.