Committal proceedings against six individuals, including four disputed Negeri Sembilan chieftains, can proceed following the Court of Appeal's dismissal of their stay application this morning.

The panel, presided by judges Alwi Abdul Wahab, Shahnaz Sulaiman and Amarjeet Singh, unanimously held that the committal application ought to be dealt with expeditiously.

“It is a well-settled principle that committal proceedings ought to take precedence over other interlocutory applications.

“Contempt proceedings directly involve the court’s jurisdiction to prevent undue interference with the administration of justice and to preserve the court's authority in the public (domain),” said Amarjeet, who read the panel’s findings.