A housewife was charged with six counts of abusing her maid on Thursday.

Singapore permanent resident Nidhi Sinha, 31, is alleged to have abused Ms Mustainah Munari by pressing a hot iron on her shins, splashing hot water over her head, banging her head against a wall and hitting her with a shower head so hard that it broke.

On another occasion she allegedly hit her in the knee and back with an aluminium clothes prong.

The alleged abuse took place at Nidhi's Hillview Avenue apartment near Bukit Timah between May and August 2012.

Nidhi is out on $15,000 bail and her passport has been impounded.

Her lawyer Diana Ngiam told the court she had put in a set of representations to the Attorney-General's Chambers and asked for the case to be adjourned.

A pre-trial conference will be held on June 9.

If convicted, Nidhi could be jailed for up to three years and/or fined up to $7,500 for voluntarily causing hurt. For using a heated substance, the maximum penalty is ten and a half years' jail and fine.