KUALA LUMPUR (May 13): The Seremban High Court on Wednesday rejected a request by the four Negeri Sembilan Undangs and two others for a temporary stay of the council of the Yang di-Pertuan Besar and the ruling chiefs’ decision made on April 17 to remove the Sungei Ujong Undang Datuk Mubarak Thahak.
Judge Roz Mawar Rozain refused to grant the injunction after the council’s secretary Raja Norazli Raja Nordin and counsel Steven Thiru objected, saying the court has no jurisdiction as council decisions are considered final.
Steven cited Article 16(3) of the Negeri Sembilan Constitution, which states that the council’s advice on Malay customs, including matters on the appointment, succession, removal or vacancy of ruling chiefs under Article 14, is final and cannot be challenged in any court or any ground.
He argued that the court should first decide whether it has the authority or jurisdiction to hear the case before proceeding with the main originating summons filed by the chieftains and other plaintiffs.
In the originating summons, the plaintiffs asked for the council’s April 17 meeting minutes and a temporary stay of Mubarak’s removal until they received the minutes.
After objections were raised, the chieftains and two others, through their lawyer Awang Armadajaya Awang Mahmud, applied for an interim stay of the council’s April 17 decision pending the hearing of the case.
However, Roz Mawar rejected the plaintiffs’ request for a stay, saying there was not enough material before the court to justify granting an interim order pending the hearing of the case.
She ordered Steven to file an application under Order 14A of the Rules of Court 2012 within seven days to dispose of the case based on the issue of jurisdiction and non-justiciability, together with supporting affidavits.
The judge also directed the plaintiffs to file their reply, and allowed the council and its secretary to submit their reply, if any.
Roz Mawar then fixed July 28 to hear the jurisdiction and non-justiciable issue.
Undangs filed originating summons last week
The plaintiffs Mubarak, Datuk Maarof Mat Rashid (Undang Jelebu), Datuk Muhammed Abdullah (Undang Johol), Datuk Abd Rahim Yasin (Undang Rembau), Tunku Syed Razman Tunku Syed Idrus Al Qadri (Tengku Besar Tampin) and Datuk Seri Badarudin Abdul Khalid (Datuk Shahbandar Sungei Ujong) filed the originating summons on May 4 through Messrs Deidra Sharina & Co.
They named the council, Raja Norazli and the Negeri Sembilan government as respondents in the application filed by Messrs Deidra Sharina & Co.
In their originating summons, which was accompanied with a certificate of urgency — they sought a declaration that as plaintiffs and members of the council, they are entitled to get a copy of the April 17 special meeting minutes, and an order for the council and Raja Norazli to produce the minutes.
They also sought to suspend the implementation of the decision to remove Mubarak until they are given the meeting minutes.
In Wednesday’s matter, the Negeri Sembilan government was represented by assistant state legal adviser Ala’uddin Baharom, who also objected to the plaintiffs’ bid to get hold of the minutes, as they are not members of the council.
Meanwhile, Berita Harian reported Awang Armadajaya as saying that although the court did not grant a stay, the plaintiffs are still allowed to file a formal application for one.
He added that he will seek instructions from his clients before deciding on the next step.
The originating summons filed by the Undangs and two others is the latest development in the constitutional crisis in Negeri Sembilan, sparked by a move by territorial chieftains to remove the state’s ruler on April 19.
The attempt failed as Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar (MB) Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun, who attended the April 17 meeting, supported Yang di-Pertuan Besar Negeri Sembilan Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir, who chaired the council meeting.
Aminuddin announced that the state government does not recognise the ouster of the Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan as one of the Undangs, Mubarak, had been removed from his office before their joint proclamation.
The situation escalated when on April 27, Barisan Nasional (BN), which holds 14 assembly seats in Aminuddin’s government, declared it had no confidence in Aminuddin as MB. Tuanku Muhriz, however, decreed that Aminuddin would stay on as Negeri Sembilan MB.
On May 5, 2026, the Majlis Dato Lembaga Adat Sungei Ujong announced the appointment of 29-year-old Muhammad Faris Johari, an accountant trained at Universiti Teknologi Mara and a descendant of the Sungei Ujong ruling lineage, as the new Undang of Sungei Ujong.