JOHANNESBURG — The prosecution in the case against Oscar Pistorius, the double-amputee track star accused of fatally shooting his girlfriend, said Friday that it planned to charge him with “premeditated murder,” the most serious murder charge under South African criminal law, as Mr. Pistorius made a tearful appearance at a courtroom in the South African capital, Pretoria.

Dressed in a gray suit and a blue shirt, Mr. Pistorius struggled to maintain his composure. He repeatedly wept, at times sobbing and holding his face in his hands. Mr. Pistorius did not speak or enter a plea. But later on Friday a statement released by his agent said that he disputed the murder charge “in the strongest terms” and that “our thoughts and prayers today should be” for the woman who was shot, Reeva Steenkamp, and her family, “regardless of the circumstances of this terrible, terrible tragedy.”

The defense asked the magistrate, Desmond Nair, for a postponement of the bail hearing, and the case was adjourned until Tuesday. Mr. Pistorius was sent to a Pretoria police station, where he will remain in custody until his next court appearance.

If convicted, Mr. Pistorius would face a mandatory life sentence, though under South African law he would be eligible for parole in 25 years at the latest. South Africa abolished the death penalty in 1995.