No plea was recorded from Iqbal Fitri Mazlan, 29, as murder cases fall under the jurisdiction of the High Court, reported Bernama.

The charge was read before magistrate Anis Adlina Abu Johan.

According to the charge sheet, Iqbal is accused of murdering Hayder Mukmin at a house in Taman Seberang Temerloh at about 9am on May 11.

The charge was framed under Section 302 of the Penal Code, which carries the death penalty or imprisonment of between 30 and 40 years, along with no fewer than 12 strokes of the cane, upon conviction if the death penalty is not imposed.

Deputy public prosecutor Adriana Azrin appeared for the prosecution while the accused was unrepresented.

The magistrate fixed Sept 1 for mention of the case. No bail was granted to the accused.

The case was initially investigated for child abuse after the victim was brought unconscious to Temerloh Hospital on May 13.

However, the probe was later reclassified under Section 302 of the Penal Code after a post-mortem confirmed that the child died from head injuries caused by blunt force trauma.