London:
A 20-year-old Briton, who is charged with the murder of Indian student Anuj Bidve in an unprovoked attack in Salford on December 26 last year, will be produced before the Manchester Crown Court on Friday.
Kiaran Stapleton is expected to enter a plea at the 'plea and case management hearing' (PMCH) in the court.
Bidve, 23, who was a postgraduate student of Microelectronics at Lancaster University, died from a single gunshot wound to the head on Boxing Day.
Stapleton, who appeared before the City of Manchester Magistrates Court in January after his arrest, had said that his name was "Psycho Stapleton."
Hundreds of people attended emotional candle-light vigils in Salford and New Delhi as the incident hit the headlines across India and Britain.
Bidve's parents had arrived in the UK to collect the body for cremation in Pune.
According to court rules, a PCMH takes place in every case in the Crown Court, and its purpose is to ensure that all necessary steps have been taken in preparation for the trial and sufficient information has been provided for a trial date to be arranged.
At the PMCH hearing, each defendant will enter a plea. If the defendant pleads 'guilty', sentencing may take place immediately or an adjournment may be requested.
If the defendant pleads 'not guilty', then the prosecution and defence are expected to inform the court of a number of relevant matters, including the issues in the case, the number of witnesses and the order in which prosecution witnesses will be called, any formal admissions, exhibits, the order and pagination of papers to be used by the prosecution at trial, and any point of law or question as to the admissibility of evidence which is expected to arise.
The judge is expected to give directions with a view to dealing with the case justly and bringing it to trial quickly and efficiently.