The Division Bench, comprising Justice C. Hari Shankar and Justice Om Prakash Shukla, allowed an appeal filed by Rahman against the order of a single-judge bench. The court stated, “We have accepted the appeal. We have revoked the single judge's order. This order is based only on principle.” However, the Bench made it clear that it has not yet delivered a verdict on the core issue of whether copyright infringement actually occurred.
The case was initiated in 2023 by Padma Shri awardee and classical singer Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar. He alleged that the composition of ‘Veera Raja Veera’ was a copy of a ‘Shiv Stuti’ originally created by his father, Ustad Nasir Faiyazuddin Dagar, and uncle, Ustad Zahiruddin Dagar. Dagar’s petition sought a ban on the song's use, naming Rahman, the production company Madras Talkies, and other associated parties.
On April 25, a single-judge bench had ruled in Dagar's favour, issuing an interim order that directed Rahman and the producers to credit the Dagar brothers on all online platforms. The order also imposed a cost of Rs.2 lakh and directed a deposit of Rs.2 crore. Rahman challenged this decision, leading to the Division Bench temporarily staying the order on May 6, while maintaining the directive to deposit the Rs.2 crore.
In his defense, Rahman has consistently argued that the ‘Shiv Stuti’ is part of the traditional Dhrupad genre and falls under the public domain. He emphasized that ‘Veera Raja Veera’ is an original creation with 227 distinct musical layers, fundamentally different from Hindustani classical music.
This ruling provides temporary respite for Rahman and the filmmakers as the legal battle over the song's originality continues. The final outcome of the copyright infringement allegation is still pending a thorough examination by the court.
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