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The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a plea filed by one KA Paul, who sought a media gag order (to ban media coverage on the issue) in the Nimisha Priya case, an Indian facing death row in Yemen in a murder case.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta dismissed the plea after the petitioner sought to withdraw the same. During the hearing, the Court acknowledged the Central government's stance that only the Government will hold periodic media briefings on the issue to ensure that other media coverage doesn't affect Nimisha's case. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) dismissed claims circulating on social media regarding monetary contributions being sought into a Government of India-designated bank account in connection with the Nimisha Priya case. In a post on X, MEA FactCheck wrote, "We have seen claims being made on social media seeking monetary contributions into a GoI designated bank account in the Nimisha Priya case. This is a fake claim." A post shared online had urged people to donate directly to what it claimed was a government account to raise funds for the case. The MEA clarified that such claims are false and warned against engaging with them. The ministry had earlier confirmed that Indian national Nimisha Priya's execution in Yemen was postponed, while appealing to the public and media to avoid unverified reports surrounding the matter. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that the government is providing all possible assistance to Priya and her family, working closely with local authorities and friendly governments to resolve the issue. During the weekly briefing, Jaiswal responded to ANI's question, saying, "This is a sensitive matter. The Government of India has been extending all possible assistance in the case. As a result of our concerted efforts, the sentencing has been postponed. We continue to follow the matter closely and provide all possible assistance." The execution, initially scheduled for July 16, was postponed following diplomatic interventions and negotiations led by the Indian government. Jaiswal clarified that reports claiming her death sentence has been completely overturned are incorrect. "We are also in touch with some friendly governments on the issue... Reports claiming that there have been certain developments are incorrect. Please wait for an update from us. We urge all sides to stay away from misinformation," he said. Nimisha Priya, a 37-year-old nurse from Kerala, was convicted of murdering her business partner, Talal Abdo Mahdi, in 2017. She was sentenced to death in 2020, with the verdict upheld by Yemen's Supreme Judicial Council in November 2023. (ANI)
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