Rajinder, 33, appeared in the High Court at Dunedin yesterday morning and new counsel Anne Stevens KC appeared after his previous lawyer, John Westgate, withdrew.
The defendant earlier pleaded not guilty to murdering Mr Singh.
A trial is expected to begin in November next year and last three weeks.
Mr Singh, 27 — who had been married in India only months before his death — was found dead at his Pine Hill home on January 29, surrounded by shards of glass.
Rajinder was arrested more than a week later and has remained in custody since, not having applied for bail.
Mr Singh’s father Nishan flew from India to New Zealand after hearing of the tragedy.
"The law and order will take the right decision and then they will make sure that the person who is responsible will be punished accordingly", Nishan Singh said.
The Otago Punjabi Foundation Trust set up a Givealittle page in the aftermath, which raised nearly $46,000 from almost 1000 donors in three weeks.
"We wish to thank members of the public for their information and CCTV footage provided, which has helped greatly with the investigation," Det Snr Sgt Croudis said.
