AR Rahman was accused of copyright infringement over his song Veera Raja Veera from his 2023 Tamil film Ponniyin Selvan 2. Earlier today, the Delhi High Court granted relief by staying an interim injunction issued by a single judge against the music composer in the lawsuit that had been filed.
According to a report from Bar And Bench, the Division Bench of Justices C Hari Shankar and Om Prakash Shukla passed the order on an appeal moved by AR Rahman.
The single-judge bench had also alleged that the core of Veera Raja Veera was identical in Swaras (notes), Bhava (Emotion) and Aural impact (impact on the ear) of the suit composition Shiva Stuti. It was valid from the perspective of a lay listener and hence it allowed the infringement suit. Today, HC set aside that order.
“We've given concurrent opinions. We have held that the single judge has erred on principle & finding on the basis of the material that shows that the junior Dagar brothers had rendered the composition that there is presumption that they were also the composers. We have said that if we hold that the person who renders the composition to be the composer, we will have to rewrite the definition (of “composer” in the Copyright Act) . On that basis without going into the infringement aspect, we have allowed the appeal,” the court said while pronouncing the verdict.
The Court also clarified that the case does not fall under the infringement aspect.
What Is The Lawsuit About?
The lawsuit against Rahman was filed by classical singer Ustad Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar, who claimed that the Veera Raja Veera song is based on Shiva Stuti, a composition created by his family - the junior Dagar brothers, his father Ustad Nasir Faiyazuddin Dagar and uncle Ustad Nasir Zahiruddin Dagar.
Ustad Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar further alleged that AR Rahman's Veera Raja Veera might differ from Shiva Stuti in terms of lyrics, but the taal, beat, and overall musical pattern of the song are identical to his family's composition. The original song was performed globally by the junior Dagar brothers and was released by PAN Records at that time.
AR Rahman's Response
AR Rahman refuted all the allegations. As per a report in Bar And Bench, the composer stated that Veera Raja Veera is an original composition imbued with Western musical fundamentals, in contrast to Shiv Stuti, which is a traditional composition within the Dhrupad genre.
The Interim Order Of April 25
On 25 April 2025, a single judge ruled in favour of Dagar on his interim injunction application. The copyright infringement lawsuit filed against AR Rahman demanded that Rahman and the film's producers give due credit to the Dagar brothers on all online platforms.
Additionally, according to the Bar And Bench report, Rahman and the film's team were also ordered to pay costs of Rs 2 lakhs to the Dagar family and were instructed to deposit Rs 2 crore with the court registry.
On May 6, Rahman appealed against the interim order, which was then stayed by the Division Bench along with the costs imposed. However, they were directed to deposit the earlier amount of Rs 2 crore in accordance with the single judge's order.
