The Supreme Court on Friday has ruled in favour of classical singer and Padma Shri awardee Ustad Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar in the 'Veera Raja Veera' copyright infringement case. Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi asked the noted composer to acknowledge their work ‘Shiva Stuti’ performed by the Junior Dagar Brothers and their inspiration in 'Veera Raja Veera' from Mani Ratnam's Ponniyin Selvan II.

The bench said these statements while hearing a plea by the Dhrupad vocalist challenging a September 2025 order of the Delhi High Court which held there there was no prima facie evidence to show that the Dagar Brothers were the authors of the classical rendition of the 'Shiva Stuti.'

Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar is the son of Faiyazuddin Dagar and nephew of Zahiruddin Dagar. He had claimed copyright to the original compositions of the Junior Dagar Brothers and noted that they were breached by AR Rahman. Hearing his arguments, the bench underlined that the first performance "does not necessarily mean authorship." The counsel representing Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar said his father and brother had created the composition.

While Rahman admitted that the song was from the Dagarwani tradition, the bench questioned if it could be extended to acknowledging that the song was first performed by the original singers.

Justice Bagchi told Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who represents AR Rahman, said, "There should be some acknowledgement. This is not a fight between professionals. Your client is a professional musician. They have been traditional worshippers of classical music. They are not in the competitive field. They just want some respect and recognition."

The copyright infringement case was filed by Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar in 2023 after the film's theatrical release, alleging that ‘Veera Raja Veera’s’ composition was lifted from the ‘Shiva Stuti’ song composed by his father, Nasir Faiyazuddin Dagar, and uncle, Zahiruddin Dagar in the 1970s as a part of the Dagarvani tradition of Hindustani classical music. He requested for the defendants, Rahman and Madras Talkies, to be ordered a permanent injunction restraining them from using the song, while also seeking damages from them and an acknowledgement of moral rights.

In 2025, a single judge bench partly allowed relief directing Rahman and Madras Talkies to credit the Junior Dagar brothers for the song composition by adding it to the film on streaming platforms and deposit Rs 2 crore as security and payment.

Later, AR Rahman filed an appeal in the High Court. The division bench subsequently set aside and revised parts of the single judge’s interim order, including the directive to deposit Rs 2 crore and certain remarks that resembled conclusive findings. However, the court stopped short of fully endorsing Rahman’s arguments, stating that questions concerning authorship, originality, and alleged infringement would be examined in detail during the trial. In response to the dilution and setting aside of the interim relief, Dagar has now moved the Supreme Court. The issue has been adjourned to further hearing on February 20.

Ponniyin Selvan 2 is the second part of the director's two-part film. It is based on the 1954 novel Ponniyin Selvan by Kalki Krishnamurthy. AR Rahman composed seven songs for the Ponniyin Selvan 2 album. The film featured an ensemble cast, featuring Vikram, Aishwarya Rai, Ravi Mohan, Trisha, Jayaram, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Sobitha Dhulipala, Sarath Kumar, and more.