Nimisha Priya execution postponed: Council confirms progress in talks with victim's family
The execution of Nimisha Priya that was scheduled to be carried out on Wednesday (July 16, 2025) in Yemen has been postponed, official sources had said earlier.
Mr. Samuel said the public prosecutor will act according to the directive issued by the office of Mahdi al-Mashat, president of Supreme Political Council of Houthis. He said that a prominent sheikh having links to the victim's family had intervened to halt the execution for now.
Family relieved
Tomy Thomas, husband of Nimisha, said he was happy to hear about the news of her execution being halted. He thanked the Centre, Kerala government and 'all those who had worked together to save her from the gallows.'
Subhash Chandran K. R, Supreme Court lawyer and member of Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council, said that her execution has been halted.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Mob justice: Church condemns arrest of nuns in Chhattisgarh
Kochi: The Syro-Malabar Church on Sunday strongly condemned the arrest of two Malayali nuns in Chhattisgarh, calling it an attack on minorities. The nuns—Sister Vandana and Sister Preeti from the Green Gardens religious community—were arrested by the railway police in Durg on Friday, on charges of human trafficking. The Church stated that the nuns were accompanying three adult women to Fatima Hospital in Agra, where they were scheduled to begin work. Despite carrying all the required documents, they were intercepted at Durg railway station by a mob claiming to be Bajrang Dal activists, who accused them of engaging in religious conversion. It further said the nuns, who have made significant contributions to leprosy eradication and patient care, were subjected to mob justice and falsely accused, leading to their arrest and imprisonment. This incident, it stated, reflects a breakdown of the rule of law and growing bias in the legal system. Meanwhile, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) has taken steps toward securing their release, and is expected to file a bail plea on Monday. CBCI spokesperson Fr Robinson Rodriquez stated that the nuns were being targeted by anti-national elements and that the matter would be raised with the Prime Minister and the home minister. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Live Comfortably: 60m2 prefabricated bungalow for the elderly in Oued Rhiou Pre Fabricated Homes | Search Ads Search Now Undo Sr Asha Paul, secretary of the CBCI Council for Women, alleged that the women accompanying the nuns were coerced into changing their statements and say that they were brought there against their will. Political leaders also condemned the incident. MP KC Venugopal said attacks on minorities have increased in BJP-ruled states like Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh. "The latest attacks by Bajrang Dal goons on two Catholic nuns in Durg, Chhattisgarh, point to a tacit support for such hate crimes from the ruling establishment," he posted on X. Opposition leader V D Satheesan called it a "police witch-hunt" and a "mob trial," demanding the immediate release of the nuns. He accused the Sangh Parivar of hypocrisy—showing a friendly face in Kerala while persecuting Christians elsewhere. The Church also said the communal atmosphere is becoming so hostile that nuns now fear travelling in religious attire. It expressed concern over the growing influence of mobs and fringe groups acting above the law and the Constitution. KCBC Vigilance Commission said the arrests were prompted by false and baseless allegations of religious conversion and human trafficking and urged the Union govt to adopt firm measures to curb religious fanaticism and prevent mob violence.
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
Congress slams BJP over arrest of Kerala nuns in Chhattisgarh; calls it ‘mob trial'; demands release
Congress leader KC Venugopal NEW DELHI: The Congress party on Sunday lashed out at the rival BJP , condemning the arrest of two Catholic nuns from Kerala in Chhattisgarh. Congress leader KC Venugopal alleged that "attacks on minorities have seen a rampant increase under BJP-ruled states". 'Attacks on minorities have seen a rampant increase under BJP-ruled states, be it Chhattisgarh, Odisha or MP. The latest attacks by Bajrang Dal goons on two Catholic nuns in Durg, Chhattisgarh, point to a tacit support for such hate crimes from the ruling establishment,' Venugopal wrote on X. He pointed at the alleged "persecution of minorities" under the BJP government and accused right-wing groups of orchestrating the incident. — kcvenugopalmp (@kcvenugopalmp) Venugopal said he had written to Union home minister Amit Shah and Chhattisgarh chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai demanding strict action against the perpetrators and urging the government to protect constitutional rights and religious freedom in the state. According to media reports, the two nuns were detained recently at a railway station in Chhattisgarh's Durg district following allegations of human trafficking and forced religious conversion, reported PTI. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Brain tumor has left my son feeling miserable; please help! Donate For Health Donate Now Undo VD Satheesan, leader of opposition in Kerala Assembly, also raised concerns, calling the arrest a disturbing instance of religious persecution. 'In BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh, two Malayali nuns faced mob trial, police persecution and false charges', Satheesan posted on X. He demanded the immediate release of the nuns, asserting that 'persecution in the name of religion or caste is unacceptable.
The Hindu
4 hours ago
- The Hindu
MHA refuses to share data on CAA beneficiaries
More than a year after the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 became effective, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has refused to share data on the total number of beneficiaries under the Act. A Bharatiya Janata Party MP from West Bengal told The Hindu that fewer than 100 people in his constituency had received citizenship under the CAA even though the number of intended beneficiaries, mostly belonging to the Matua sect, were around 1 lakh. There are around 2.8 crore people from the Matua and Namasudra communities who stand to benefit from the CAA in the State. The CAA Rules were notified on March 11, 2024 to give citizenship to undocumented members of Hindu, Sikh, Parsi, Jain, Buddhist and Christian communities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh under the Act that was passed in 2019. Ranaghat MP Jagannath Sarkar told The Hindu that the requirement to submit any one document, which will help trace an applicant's roots to Bangladesh, should be dropped and the cut-off date for applying under CAA should be amended too. The existing cut-off date is December 31, 2014. 'Most people do not have any of the documents sought by the MHA to fulfil citizenship criteria. These people came to India to escape persecution, with barely any belongings. How will they provide documents?' Mr. Sarkar said. Following reports from West Bengal, Schedule 1A of the CAA Rules was tweaked on July 8, 2024, and the list of nine documents to prove that the applicant is a national of Afghanistan or Bangladesh or Pakistan was expanded to include any document issued by the State or the Centre or quasi-judicial authority in India identifying or representing the applicant or their parents or grandparents or great-grandparents as a national of these three countries . Anticipating non-cooperation in Opposition-ruled States, the CAA Rules entrusted Central government officials posted in States, including officials of Directorate of Census, Postal Department, Railways, National Informatics Centre (NIC) and Intelligence Bureau, to process the applications. On April 2, Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said in the Rajya Sabha that 'thousands were granted citizenship', while responding to Trinamool Congress member Sushmita Dev's remarks that merely 350 people were granted citizenship under the CAA. The Minister did not specify the number. The Act was mostly expected to benefit people in West Bengal and Assam as those who had arrived from Pakistan had entered legally and possessed one of the documents required to acquire citizenship. In West Bengal, most intended beneficiaries already have voter cards and other identity documents. One of the criteria to avail citizenship under the CAA is that the applicant has to declare that he or she is a foreigner. The Pakistani applicants from the six non-Muslim communities would have been eligible under the Citizenship Act, 1955 also after living in India continuously for 12 years. According to Hindu Singh, president, Seemant Lok Sangathan, a group that advocates for the rights of Pakistani minority migrants in India, of the around 8,500 people who applied under the CAA in Rajasthan, 7,250 were granted citizenship in the past one year. On March 10, Assam's Parliamentary Affairs Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary informed the Assembly that two applicants in Assam were granted citizenship under CAA. In Gujarat, at least 373 people had got citizenship via the CAA. While discussing the legislation in Rajya Sabha on December 11, 2019, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that 'lakhs and crores' of people would benefit from the law. However, Director, Intelligence Bureau had deposed before a parliamentary committee in 2018 that around 31,000 people would be the immediate beneficiaries. The MHA has refused to share information on how many people have either applied or had been granted citizenship. The Hindu filed a Right to Information Act (RTI) application in June 2024 and in September 2024, the MHA refused to provide the information. An appeal was also filed with the Central Information Commission (CIC), which hears appeals from applicants who have issues with RTI responses from public authorities of the Union government. The CIC's Chief Commissioner Heeralal Samariya heard The Hindu's case on July 9. The RTI was limited to applications received on the portal, which is run by the Home Ministry as the entire process is online. The Home Ministry's representative, Ram Dayal Meena, did not specifically dispute any of The Hindu's arguments during the hearing, and when asked by the CIC if he wanted to speak, declined to make any oral submissions. A written response reiterated the MHA's earlier refusals, which simply stated that the information was 'not being maintained as desired by you'. 'Upon perusal of records and examining the facts of the case at hand, it is noted that the Appellant's queries had been appropriately answered by the concerned PIO,' Mr. Samariya wrote in his order. 'The reply is self- explanatory and information as permissible under the provisions of the RTI Act has been duly supplied to the Appellant.' The decision was arrived at the same day, and was uploaded at a later date.
