Syed Kamal Syed Mohamad, 28, nodded after the charge was read out to him before magistrate Illi Marisqa Khalizan, but no plea was recorded as the case is under the High Court’s jurisdiction.

He was charged, together with three others who had been charged earlier and another still at large, with the murder of M Sanjeet Kumar, 28, in the back lane of Affin Bank, Jalan Telawi 3, Bangsar, at 1am on March 13, 2021.

The charge, framed under Section 302 of the Penal Code and read together with Section 34 of the same law, provides upon conviction the death penalty or imprisonment for a minimum of 30 years and a maximum of 40 years, as well as a minimum of 12 strokes of the cane if not sentenced to death.

The court set June 17 for mention.

Deputy public prosecutor Hamizah Hisan appeared for the prosecution, while the accused was unrepresented.

On April 13 last year, G Naresh, 27, K Pravin, 28, and S Letchumanan, 30, all unemployed, were charged in the magistrates’ court here with murdering Sanjeet Kumar.