Delhi High Court Stays Interim Order in A.R. Rahman Copyright Case

The Delhi High Court has temporarily stayed an interim order involving music composer A R Rahman and the producers of 'Ponniyin Selvan 2' in a copyright dispute concerning a musical composition.

The court composed of Justices C Hari Shankar and Ajay Digpaul directed Rahman and the filmmakers to deposit Rs 2 crore with its registry within 10 days, adhering to a prior directive by a single judge. Initially, the high court's single judge ordered that a slide acknowledging Junior Dagar Brothers be included on OTT and online platforms. This direction has now been stayed by the division bench.

Rahman's stay application and appeal challenging the initial order are scheduled for further hearing on May 23. The lawsuit, initiated by Ustad Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar, claims copyright over the original compositions by the Junior Dagar Brothers, including 'Shiva Stuti'. The court previously found that Rahman's song 'Veera Raja Veera' was nearly identical to 'Shiva Stuti', violating copyrights. However, Rahman's legal team contended that 'Shiva Stuti' belongs to the traditional dhrupad genre in the public domain, and should not be eligible for copyright protection.

(With inputs from agencies.)