The DKU Negeri Sembilan and its secretary have filed High Court applications for leave to initiate contempt proceedings against Menteri Besar Datuk Ismail Lasim and 16 others.
SEREMBAN: The Dewan Keadilan dan Undang (DKU) Negeri Sembilan and its secretary, Raja Norazli Raja Nordin, have filed applications in the High Court here, seeking leave to commence committal proceedings against Menteri Besar Datuk Ismail Lasim and 16 other individuals.
The respondents named in the applications, filed on Oct 15, besides Ismail, are 10 former members of the State Executive Council, or the Majlis Mesyuarat Kerajaan Negeri (MMK) and the six plaintiffs in an originating summons seeking to obtain minutes of a special sitting of the DKU held on April 17.
The six plaintiffs in the originating summons are Datuk Mubarak Thahak, Datuk Maarof Mat Rashad, Datuk Abd Rahim Yasin, Datuk Muhammed Abdullah, Tunku Besar Tampin Tunku Syed Razman Tunku Syed Idrus Al-Qadri and Datuk Seri Badarudin Abdul Khalid.
According to the court documents, the DKU and Raja Norazli are seeking to initiate contempt proceedings against the 17 individuals, alleging that they breached, or acted in a manner that undermined the purpose of, an ad interim injunction granted by the High Court on June 5 concerning the administration and affairs of the DKU.
The injunction, among other things, restrains the six plaintiffs from making or implementing decisions concerning the affairs of the DKU and from taking any steps that would alter or interfere with the status quo of its affairs as at May 21.
According to the applications, the six plaintiffs allegedly continued to give effect to the purported proclamation dated April 19 and the purported change in the office of the Yang Dipertuan Besar through a series of public statements and press conferences issued between Sept 5 and Oct 11.
The applicants further alleged that Ismail and the 10 former MMK members, despite being aware of the injunction, took steps to implement the purported proclamation.
The actions cited include an MMK decision made on Sept 15, directions allegedly issued to the state administration, a letter from the Menteri Besar to the Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal dated Sept 17, and the purported suspension of the State Secretary and State Legal Adviser on Sept 22.
Solicitors for the applicants had previously issued a letter dated Sept 16, stating that the actions in question were considered to be in breach of the injunction.