The Delhi High Court has recently accepted AR. Rahman‘s plea and granted him the benefit of the doubt in the copyright dispute related to the song ‘Veera Raja Veera’ from the film ‘Ponniyin Selvan 2’ (‘PS 2’). Popular composer A.R. Rahman’s petition was proved in court this Wednesday (September 24). As per the Indian Express report, justices C. Hari Shankar and Om Prakash Shukla, while announcing the verdict, noted, “We have not examined the (copyright) infringement aspect in this case.” This indicated that if every musical composition were to be copyrighted by its author, the definition of Section 2 of the Copyright Act would have to be changed. The court will issue a detailed ruling soon.
The Dagar family demanded Rs 2 crore from AR Rahman and production houses
The case began in April 2025, when a single judge of the Delhi High Court ordered Rahman and two production companies to pay Rs 2 crore. The case was filed against Padma Shri awardee Thirupath vocal artist Ustad Fayaz Wasifuddin Dagar. The court also ordered AR Rahman and the ‘PS 2’ production companies to pay 2 lakh rupees as compensation to Dagar within 4 weeks and to change the credits in the song to include the names of Dagar’s father and uncle.
Copyright case involved ‘PS 2’ producers, singers, and AR Rahman
Dagger implicated the ‘PS 2′ producers Madras Talkies (co-owned by Mani Ratnam) and Lyca Productions Private Limited, as well as the two singers of the song, in the case. The matter primarily arose over the copyright infringement of the junior Dagar brothers’ ‘Shiva Stuti’ composition. Dagar’s father and uncle died in 1989 and 1994, respectively, and their legal heirs agreed that their copyright rights had been transferred to Dagar.
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The previous verdict noted the song mirrored ‘Shiva Stuti’
In the previous single judge verdict, it was stated that “this song was not created to inspire the kewal suit composition ‘Shiva Stuti’, but in fact has the same musical composition. Although some word changes give the song a new form, the basic musical structure remains the same,” it was said. This case is expected to set a new precedent in the copyright case over film songs.Disclaimer: This report is a journalistic account of a recent court development. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy based on available information, this is not a substitute for the official court order or legal advice. The final ruling, which will be published by the court, is the definitive source of information. This article serves as a report on the current status of the case and should not be considered legal guidance.
