THE ceremony to formalise the appointment of the 17th Undang Luak Jelebu is scheduled to take place at Istana Besar Seri Menanti today.
The ‘Istiadat Menzahirkan Kejadian Undang Luak Jelebu ke-17’ will be held at the palace’s Balairung Seri, with the attendance of Yang di-Pertuan Besar Negeri Sembilan Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir.
The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 2.30 pm.
Tunku Ampuan Besar Negeri Sembilan Tuanku Aishah Rohani Tengku Besar Mahmud and the Putera Yang Empat are also expected to attend, while the Jelebu delegation is scheduled to enter the hall at 3 pm.
The ceremony follows the declaration of Datuk Azrin Khairi, 51, as the 17th Undang Luak Jelebu at Kampung Mengkan, Kuala Klawang, on Aug 29.
Azrin, a senior general manager at a telecommunications company, has a background in business administration and professional and community work.
His declaration was made by Ismail Mohd Zin, who claims to be the acting Undang Luak Jelebu and uses the title Datuk Menteri Sah Mangku Alam Raja Sehari.
The appointment was subsequently challenged by a group of Datuk Lembaga, who questioned the validity of the process.
The dispute centres on the removal of Datuk Maarof Mat Rashad, who had held the position of Undang Luak Jelebu since being recognised as the 16th holder of the title.
At its July 31 sitting, the Dewan Keadilan dan Undang (DKU) accepted a decision by Waris Berundang from three Perut Kemin — Kemin Teriang, Kemin Beringin and Kemin Bemban — to remove Maarof, effective May 31, 2023.
The DKU maintained that the position became vacant following the decision and that actions taken by Maarof after that date were invalid. – October 14, 2026