AR Rahman to credit others for a song? Know the dispute and final SC ruling

New Delhi: Oscar-winning composer A R Rahman on Friday informed the Supreme Court of India that he would acknowledge the Junior Dagar Brothers in connection with the song 'Veera Raja Veera' from the Tamil film 'Ponniyin Selvan II'.

Rahman assured the apex court that the track would carry an acknowledgement stating that it was inspired by the traditional composition 'Shiva Stuti' associated with the family of classical vocalist Ustad Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar.

Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Rahman, submitted that the composer had agreed, as an interim arrangement, to acknowledge the performance of the late Ustad N Faiyazuddin Dagar and Ustad N Zahiruddin Dagar, collectively known as the Junior Dagar Brothers.

Singhvi clarified that the concession was made 'without prejudice' to Rahman’s rights and arguments in the main civil suit pending before the Delhi High Court.

Also Read | Ponniyin Selvan 2 song ‘Veera raja veera’ plagiarised; AR Rahman, producers directed to pay Rs 2 Cr

Recording the submission, a bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, and comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul Pancholi, directed that the revised song credits be updated across all social media platforms and OTT platforms within five weeks.

The bench clarified that the pending civil suit would proceed independently and would not be influenced by any observations made during the present proceedings.

With these directions, the Supreme Court disposed of the special leave petition filed by Ustad Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar, who had challenged a division bench order of the Delhi High Court setting aside an earlier single-judge injunction against Rahman and other defendants.

During a previous hearing, the CJI-led bench had observed that the Dagarvani tradition has made an unparalleled contribution to Indian classical music and suggested that an acknowledgement could be considered instead of entering into 'legal niceties'.

In its September 24, 2025 judgment, a division bench of Justices C Hari Shankar and Om Prakash Shukla of the Delhi High Court held that there was no prima facie material to establish that the Junior Dagar Brothers were the authors or composers of 'Shiva Stuti'. The court vacated interim directions, including the order to deposit ₹2 crore and to modify the song credits.

The case centres on allegations of copyright infringement and the demand for due credit in the 'Veera Raja Veera' track from 'Ponniyin Selvan II', bringing renewed focus on intellectual property rights and attribution in Indian classical music.

IANS