Seremban:The High Court today granted permission for the Dewan Keadilan dan Undang Negeri Sembilan (DKU) to be included as the third defendant in an originating summons (OS 596) concerning the revocation of the positions of 10 former state executive council (Exco) members.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Judge Roz Mawar Rozain dismissed an application by DKU's secretary, Raja Norazli Raja Nordin, to be included as a defendant in his personal capacity, stating he did not demonstrate any personal legal right or liability directly affected by the case.

The judge stated that the DKU had shown a direct legal interest of a constitutional nature in the matter of the originating summons. She mentioned that the ruling chiefs' composition, as members of the DKU, is directly impacted by the constitutional questions raised in the case.

The 10 former Negeri Sembilan Exco members, who filed the originating summons, are challenging the interpretation of the State Constitution. They have named the Negeri Sembilan State Secretary and the state government as defendants. The court noted that the DKU's interest lies in the interpretation of the term "Ruler" in Article 28(1) of the State Constitution.

The court confirmed that the originating summons would proceed without addressing the validity of an April 19 proclamation or the officeholder of Yang Dipertuan Besar. Counsel for the plaintiffs, Datuk Syed Faisal Al-Edros Syed Abdullah, argued against the intervention, claiming no direct legal interest by the proposed interveners in OS 596.

Counsel for the DKU, Steven Thiru, argued that the DKU, as a constitutional body, has a significant legal interest in the proceedings. The High Court has scheduled November 16 to hear a preliminary objection regarding the method of initiating the proceedings.