Kelantan Menteri Besar Nik Aziz Nik Mat today denied any knowledge of a purported proclamation ceremony to be held at the Kelantan palace on Monday.

He said he had not received any letter from the palace on the purported proclamation of the Regent, Tengku Muhammad Faris Petra, as the sultan, and neither had he heard of the matter from anyone.

"If I could, I would not want to comment on any matter concerning the (Kelantan) palace," he told Bernama.

Nik Aziz was asked to comment on a newspaper report today quoting sources as saying it was believed that the regent would be proclaimed as the Sultan of Kelantan on Monday to succeed his father, Tuanku Ismail Petra, who has been ill for a year now.

It was reported that the proclamation ceremony would take place at the Throne Room of the Istana Balai Besar here, beginning at 11.30am.

Meanwhile, the Comptroller of the Kelantan Royal Household, Abdul Halim Hamad, when contacted by Bernama, declined comment on the matter.

"I do not want to confirm or deny it. I have also not received any command from the regent to issue any statement on the matter," he said.

Regent Tengku Muhammad Faris has been fighting a bitter succession battle with his younger brother, Tengku Muhammad Fakhry. 

- Bernama