The Delhi High Court on Tuesday stayed an interim injunction issued by a single judge against music composer AR Rahman in a copyright infringement case concerning the song Veera Raja Veera from the 2023 Tamil film Ponniyin Selvan 2 (PS2).

The case was initiated by Padma Shri awardee and Indian classical vocalist Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar, who alleged that the song was copied from Shiva Stuti, a composition by his father Nasir Faiyazuddin Dagar and uncle Zahiruddin Dagar. Dagar claimed that while Veera Raja Veera had different lyrics, its rhythm (taal), beat, and musical structure were identical to Shiva Stuti, a Dhrupad-style composition performed globally by the Junior Dagar brothers and released under PAN Records.

On April 25, Justice Prathiba M Singh of the High Court ruled in favour of Dagar and granted an interim injunction. The order directed Rahman and the film’s producers to credit the Dagar brothers across all online platforms, imposed ₹2 lakh in costs, and ordered a deposit of ₹2 crore. Rahman subsequently challenged the order before a Division Bench.

Taking up the appeal, the Division Bench comprising Justices C Hari Shankar and Ajay Digpaul stayed the operation of the injunction until the next hearing, scheduled for May 23. The Court noted:

"As the subject matter of the copyright in which the injunction has been granted has been in the public domain since 2023, without prejudice to the rights and contentions of both sides and without intending the order to be any expression on merits, we stay the operation of the injunction granted by the learned single judge till the next date of hearing."

The Bench also stayed the cost imposed but directed Rahman and the producers to deposit ₹2 crore as per the earlier order. It clarified that this direction did not reflect any conclusion on the merits of the appeal.

In his defense, Rahman argued that Shiva Stuti is a traditional Dhrupad composition and thus falls within the public domain. He further asserted that Veera Raja Veera is an original creation with over 227 musical layers based on Western musical theory, diverging significantly from the conventions of Hindustani classical music.

However, Justice Singh had earlier found otherwise, observing that Veera Raja Veera was not merely inspired by but identical to Shiva Stuti in its swaras (notes), bhava (emotion), and aural impact. She concluded:

“The core of the impugned song Veera Raja Veera is not just inspired but is in fact identical in Swaras, Bhava, and Aural impact of the suit composition Shiva Stuti, from the point of view of a lay listener. Hence, the Defendant’s composition infringes the Plaintiff’s rights in Shiva Stuti.”

The case will now be taken up for final disposal on May 23.