Rajinder, 33, appeared in the High Court at Dunedin this morning and new counsel Anne Stevens KC appeared after his previous lawyer John Westgate withdrew.
The defendant previously pleaded not guilty to murdering Mr Singh.
He was remanded in custody until July 3 so further forensic disclosure could be provided to Ms Stevens.
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 without applying 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.
Detective Senior Sergeant Kallum Croudis said a large team of investigators had worked on the case and he paid tribute to the efforts of the Institute of Environmental Science and Research.
"We wish to thank members of the public for their information and CCTV footage provided, which has helped greatly with the investigation."
