High Court to hear murder case

KUALA LUMPUR: The magistrate’s court here yesterday ordered the case involving the fire incident at the Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah religious school, which claimed the lives of 23 people, to be transferred to the High Court.

Magistrate Siti Radziah Kamarudin made the order when the case came up for mention.

Two suspects, both 16, were charged at the magistrate’s court with murdering 21 students and two warden teachers on Sept 14.

The charge under Section 302 of the Penal Code carries the mandatory death sentence upon conviction.

In the predawn fire last year, the victims died after they were trapped on the third floor of their hostel.

A day after the incident, police arrested seven suspects, aged between 12 and 18.

It was later established that the suspects had torched the building in revenge after an argument with some of the students.

Following that, two 16-yearold boys were charged with murder.

At another magistrate’s court, magistrate Zilfinaz Abbas granted a discharge not amounting to acquittal to one of the accused on drug-consumption charges.

The teenager was alleged to have inserted ganja and syabu into his body at the toilet of the D7 Office of the Criminal Investigation Department, Kuala Lumpur police contingent headquarters here, at 11.35am on Sept 16.

Deputy public prosecutors Nordin Ismail and Nurakmal Farhan Aziz prosecuted, while the duo were represented by Haijan Omar and Joanne Chua.