New Delhi: The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Tuesday a plea filed by renowned classical vocalist Ustad Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar against music composer A.R. Rahman, alleging that the song “Veera Raja Veera” featured in the Tamil film “Ponniyin Selvan II” is inspired by his family’s traditional composition “Shiva Stuti”.
As per the cause list published on the website of the apex court, the matter is listed before a bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and N.V. Anjaria for hearing on February 10.
Earlier, the Delhi High Court, in a judgment passed on September 24, 2025, had set aside an interim order directing Rahman and the film’s producers to deposit Rs 2 crore and to modify song credits in favour of the Junior Dagar Brothers.
A division bench of Justices C. Hari Shankar and Om Prakash Shukla had held that there was no prima facie material to establish that the late Ustad N. Faiyazuddin Dagar and Ustad N. Zahiruddin Dagar — popularly known as the Junior Dagar Brothers — were the authors or composers of “Shiva Stuti”.
The Delhi High Court drew a clear distinction between a performer’s rights and authorship, observing that “mere performance or fixation of a musical piece does not, by itself, confer copyright in the underlying composition”.
Setting aside the single-judge Bench’s order, the Justice Hari Shankar-led Bench had ruled that the materials relied upon by Wasifuddin Dagar, including recordings of performances and album inlay cards, at best demonstrated performance rights under the Copyright Act and could not be treated as proof of authorship.
It further observed that the “Shiva Stuti” forms part of the broader Dagarvani or Dhrupad tradition of Hindustani classical music, which has historically evolved through oral transmission across generations, and allowing exclusive copyright claims over such compositions could have serious implications for the guru-shishya parampara.
Aggrieved by the setting aside of interim relief, Wasifuddin Dagar has now approached the Supreme Court, seeking restoration of recognition and protection of the moral and copyright interests of the Junior Dagar Brothers.
(IANS)
