The Delhi High Court has temporarily cleared AR Rahman in a copyright infringement case concerning the song "Veera Raja Veera" from the 2023 Tamil film Ponniyin Selvan 2. The case was filed by classical vocalist Ustad Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar, who alleged that the song copied his family's composition "Shiva Stuti," created in the 1970s by his father and uncle, known as the Junior Dagar Brothers.

In an earlier interim order on April 25, Justice Prathiba M. Singh of the Delhi High Court had ruled that "Veera Raja Veera" was not merely inspired by but "identical" to "Shiva Stuti" in its notes, emotion, and aural impact. The court directed AR Rahman, Madras Talkies, and Lyca Productions to deposit ₹2 crore with the court registry and ₹2 lakh to be paid to Dagar. The court also mandated that all OTT and online platforms credit the Junior Dagar Brothers as the original composers of "Shiva Stuti".

Rahman's counsel argued that "Shiva Stuti" belonged to the traditional Dhrupad genre, which is in the public domain and not subject to copyright protection. They contended that the song's style of singing and composition lacked originality. However, the single-judge bench found that the similarities between the two compositions went beyond mere inspiration.

On May 6, a division bench of Justice C. Hari Shankar and Justice Ajay Digpaul stayed the interim order against A.R. Rahman and the makers of Ponniyin Selvan 2, but directed Rahman and the makers to deposit ₹2 crore with its registry within 10 days.

On September 23, 2025, a division bench of Justices C Hari Shankar and Om Prakash Shukla set aside the single judge's ruling, allowing Rahman's appeal. The court stated that the single judge had erred in presuming the Junior Dagar brothers were the composers simply because they rendered the composition. The bench clarified that if rendering a composition automatically implied authorship, it would necessitate rewriting the definition of "composer" in the Copyright Act. The court allowed the appeal without delving into the infringement aspect.

Dagar sought a permanent injunction to prevent Rahman and Madras Talkies from using the song, demanded damages, and requested the court to uphold his family's moral rights by ensuring proper credit. He claimed that the "Veera Raja Veera" song, including its taandav style, was completely plagiarized and used without permission or credit. Dagar also sued the singers of the song, Arman Dehlvi and Shivam Bhardwaj, who were previously his disciples.

The court had previously emphasized that the core of "Veera Raja Veera" was "identical in Swaras (notes), Bhava (Emotion) and Aural impact (impact on the ear)" to "Shiva Stuti" from the perspective of a lay listener. The court initially rejected Rahman's defense that "Shiva Stuti" was a traditional composition lacking exclusive rights. The recent decision by the Delhi High Court provides temporary relief to A.R. Rahman in this ongoing copyright dispute. A detailed copy of the judgement is awaited.