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After nearly two decades of legal proceedings and 13 court hearings, a Saudi court has delivered its final verdict in the case of Machilakath Abdul Rahim, a native of Farook Kodampuzha in Kerala’s Kozhikode district. Rahim, who has been imprisoned in Saudi Arabia since 2006 for the alleged murder of a Saudi minor, was sentenced to 20 years in prison by the Riyadh Criminal Court on Monday, May 26.
His life was spared from the death penalty in 2018 after the victim’s family accepted 1.5 million Saudi riyals (approximately Rs 34 crore) as blood money—an amount raised entirely through a massive fundraising effort across Kerala and the global Malayali diaspora.
With this final ruling, Rahim, now 45, is expected to complete his sentence by December 2026—exactly 20 years after the incident occurred.
The case originated in 2006 when Rahim, then a 26-year-old taxi driver in Riyadh, was also working as a caretaker for his employer’s 15-year-old son, who was partially paralysed and dependent on a medical tube for breathing and feeding. The boy reportedly died after Rahim accidentally dislodged the tube.
The victim’s family initially demanded the death penalty, and in 2018, Rahim was sentenced accordingly. However, under Saudi Arabia’s Islamic legal framework, the family later agreed to accept blood money, commuting the death sentence. Rahim’s family and friends mobilised a massive campaign—launching a mobile app titled ‘SaveAbdulRahim’—and received support from Keralites worldwide. Even Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan publicly backed the cause, calling it “The Real Kerala Story” in contrast to the controversial film The Kerala Story, which many Keralites criticized for misrepresenting the state.
Despite the payment of blood money, Rahim was still prosecuted under the Public Rights Act, which addresses crimes seen as offenses against society, regardless of private settlements. Over the past nine months, 13 court sessions were held to reach a final verdict. The concluding session on May 26 was attended by Rahim, his legal counsel, Indian Embassy officials, and Siddique Thuvvoor, a representative of his family.
The final verdict had originally been scheduled for May 5 but was postponed to allow the court more time for deliberation. On May 26, the court upheld a 20-year sentence—marking the close of a long, emotionally charged legal journey.
Rahim’s family expressed mixed emotions—relief that his life was spared, but sadness that he will remain in prison for another year and a half.