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Delhi HC stays copyright injunction against AR Rahman in 'Veera Raja Veera' case
Division Bench puts single judge’s ruling on hold, offers temporary relief to Rahman and PS2 producers amid ongoing copyright battle with Dhrupad singer Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar.
The court directed Rahman and the film's producers to credit the Dagar brothers across all digital platforms, imposed Rs 2 lakh in costs, and asked them to deposit Rs 2 crore.
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday stayed an interim injunction that had earlier been passed against Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman in a copyright infringement case concerning his song Veera Raja Veera from the 2023 Tamil blockbuster Ponniyin Selvan 2 (PS2), according to media reports.
The dispute was initiated by renowned Indian classical Dhrupad singer and Padma Shri awardee Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar. He alleged that Rahman's composition was substantially lifted from Shiva Stuti, a traditional Dhrupad piece composed and performed by his father Nasir Faiyazuddin Dagar and uncle Zahiruddin Dagar—globally known as the Junior Dagar brothers.
On April 25, a single judge bench had ruled in Dagar's favour, stating that the Veera Raja Veera composition was 'identical' to Shiva Stuti in terms of swaras, bhava, and aural impact.
The court directed Rahman and the film's producers to credit the Dagar brothers across all digital platforms, imposed Rs 2 lakh in costs, and asked them to deposit Rs 2 crore.
Rahman challenged the decision, arguing that Shiva Stuti belongs to the public domain, being part of the Dhrupad tradition, and that Veera Raja Veera is an original piece structured with over 227 musical layers inspired by Western composition styles.
On Tuesday, the Division Bench of Justices C Hari Shankar and Ajay Digpaul stayed the single judge’s interim injunction and listed the appeal for final disposal on May 23. The Bench observed that the composition in question had been in the public domain since 2023 and that the stay was being granted without prejudice to either party’s legal standing.
Additionally, the costs levied on Rahman and the film's producers were suspended, though the court upheld the direction to deposit ₹2 crore as a provisional measure—clarifying that this was not a reflection on the merits of the case.
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