Today, On 24th September, The Delhi High Court granted relief to AR Rahman in the copyright dispute over the song ‘Veera Raja Veera.’ The court noted that the case “did not address the issue of infringement,” providing a favorable outcome for the composer.
The Delhi High Court set-aside an interim injunction against music composer AR Rahman in a copyright infringement case concerning the song “Veera Raja Veera,” which is part of the 2023 Tamil film Ponniyin Selvan 2 (PS2).
A Division Bench consisting of Justices C Hari Shankar and Om Prakash Shukla issued this ruling following an appeal filed by Rahman.
The Court stated,
“We have allowed the appeal. We have authored concurrent opinions. We have set aside the impugned order by the single-judge on principle,”
However, the Court clarified that it did not address the issue of infringement.
Indian classical vocalist Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar, a recipient of the Padma Shri award, had previously filed the copyright suit, claiming that the composition of “Veera Raja Veera” was derived from his father Nasir Faiyazuddin Dagar’s and uncle Zahiruddin Dagar’s song “Shiva Stuti.”
Dagar argued that while “Veera Raja Veera” features different lyrics, the taal, beat, and musical structure are remarkably similar to “Shiva Stuti,” which has been performed globally by the Junior Dagar brothers and included in albums by PAN Records.
Rahman refuted these claims, asserting that “Shiva Stuti” is a traditional piece within the Dhrupad genre and is in the public domain. He also contended that “Veera Raja Veera” is an original composition that employs Western musical principles and consists of 227 distinct layers, significantly exceeding the norms of Hindustani classical music.
Earlier, On April 25, a single judge ruled in favor of Dagar, granting his interim injunction request. The ruling mandated that Rahman and the film’s producers credit the Dagar brothers on all online platforms, imposed costs of Rs.2 lakh, and required them to deposit Rs.2 crore.
Subsequently, Rahman appealed this decision, and on May 6, the Division Bench stayed the interim injunction.
The Bench also suspended the costs imposed on Rahman and the producers, directing them to deposit the Rs.2 crore as per the single judge’s order while clarifying that this deposit was not an indication of the appeal’s merits.
Advocates Saikrishna Rajagopal, Sneha Jain, Vivek Ayyagari, Akshat Agrawal, Vishnavi Rao, and Arunima Nair from Saikrishna & Associates represented AR Rahman.
Meanwhile, advocates Neel Mason, Arjun Harkauli, Vihan Dang, Ujjawal Bhargava, and Abeer Shandilya from Mason and Associates represented Dagar.