Madras HC quashes contempt orders against Radio Mirchi operator in SIMCA music royalty case
ENIL said that the Division Bench clarified that no financial impact arises from the earlier contempt orders, which now stand annulled.
ADVERTISEMENT
Entertainment Network (India) Ltd (ENIL), the operator of Radio Mirchi, on Thursday said that the Madras High Court has set aside in entirety the contempt orders previously issued against the company in a long-running royalty dispute initiated by the South Indian Music Companies Association (SIMCA).
In a stock exchange filing, the company said a Division Bench of the Madras High Court, in a judgment dated December 10, 2025, allowed its appeals and dismissed all contempt proceedings initiated by SIMCA. The court also set aside directions issued by a Single Judge that had required ENIL to deposit 50% of alleged royalty dues, submit historical music-play logs, and compute royalty amounts payable to SIMCA.
According to ENIL, the court held that contempt jurisdiction was not maintainable in this case, noting that the underlying royalty order, relating to compulsory music licensing norms—is already under consideration before the Supreme Court. The Bench observed that the alleged monetary liability remains unquantified, and therefore cannot trigger contempt.
The company added that the Division Bench clarified that no financial impact arises from the earlier contempt orders, which now stand annulled.
The dispute stems from disagreements over royalty payments for music broadcast between 2010 and 2020. SIMCA had alleged non-payment and sought contempt action after the High Court’s April 2023 judgment modifying the Copyright Board’s royalty structure. Broadcasters argued that the order did not quantify any payable amount and therefore could not be enforced through contempt.
The Division Bench agreed, noting that any recovery must follow the statutory route under Section 75 of the Copyright Act, which requires the amount to be quantified and certified for execution as a civil decree.
The court also observed that SIMCA, which was not a party before the Copyright Board, cannot use contempt petitions to enforce royalty claims arising from private agreements with radio stations.
ENIL said the ruling eliminates all outstanding contempt-related obligations on the company.
