The Kota Baharu Syariah High Court today rejected the divorce pronouncement of former Kelantan Sultan Ismail Petra on his second wife, Cik Puan Elia Suhana Ahmad, filed by Datin Nik Rorhana Wan Abdul Rahman last March 9.

NONE Judge Abdullah Man found that the plaintiff had failed to have the required number of witnesses to support her application, and that he himself was the only one present at an audience with the sultan ( left ) at Istana Mahkota in Kubang Kerian last Oct 30 to talk about the pronouncement.

"The court decision is based on three questions: first, whether a third party may apply for approval of a divorce pronouncement, whether the plaintiff had enough witnesses, and third, whether what occurred between the Sultan and I could be accepted in court," he said.

"Based on this, the court rejects the application of the plaintiff (Nik Rorhana) for approval of the pronouncement, and the plaintiff may appeal the decision within 14 days," he added.

Nik Rorhana was present at today's proceedings while the 31-year-old defendant, Elia Suhana, was not because of ill health.

Last March 21, Elia Suhana, through lawyer Fakhrul Azman Abu Hassan, requested that the application to validate the pronouncement be cancelled.

Sultan Ismail Petra, who was still Kelantan ruler then, was alleged to have made the divorce pronouncement on Feb 12 Feb in front of several witnesses while he was being treated at the Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore.

Abdullah said that Nik Rorhana had the right to file the application seeking court approval of the pronouncement.

However, she did not produce enough qualified witnesses. The court was satisfied with the explanation of the doctor she presented as a witness.

But it found the explanation of the second person she presented as inadequate for a witness.

Abdullah said that Sultan Ismail Petra only allowed one judge to interview him on the divorce pronouncement.

"If I were to be a witness in the meeting, who then would be the judge? And a judge cannot be a witness," he said.

Elia Suhana's lawyer, Fakhrul Azman, approached by reporters later, said: "Today's court decision means that the Sultan (Ismail Petra) and Cik Puan Elia Suhana are still husband and wife."

The plaintiff's lawyer, Zainul Rijal Abu Bakar, said he would consult his client on whether to appeal the decision.

- Bernama