Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Supreme Court on Friday told music composer A R Rahman to show respect to and acknowledge Junior Dagar Bandhu’s contributions to the Dhrupad tradition of Indian classical music. Their heir has accu-sed Rahman of copyright infringement.Ustad Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar filed a suit seeking to bar Rahman from using ‘Shiva Stuti’, which he clai-med was originally composed by Ustad Faiyazuddin Dagar and his brother Zahiruddin Dagar, in ‘Veera Raja Veera’. He said he still held copyright over the composition by his father and his uncle.The plaintiff had said credit should be given to the Dagar Brothers when the ‘Veera Raja Veera’ version was played across all modes and mediums, including digital, internet, OTT platforms, satellite, cable television, etc.Delhi HC’s Justice Pratibha Singh had asked the existing credit line ‘Composition based on a Dagarvani Tradition Dhrupad’ be replaced with ‘Composition based on Shiva Stuti by Late Ustad Faiyazuddin Dagar, Late Ustad Zahiruddin Dagar’.The four defendants, including Rahman, were asked to deposit Rs 2 crore each, subject to outcome of the suit. A division bench of the HC had set aside the interim directions — change of credit and Rs 2 crore deposit — saying Dagar had failed to establish prima facie proof of authorship or originality of ‘Shiva Stuti’.An SC bench of CJI Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi told Rahman’s counsel, A M Singhvi, that the plaintiff has made out a case with regard to the originality of the composition but the issue of authorship would be examined.Both the CJI and Justice Bagchi were unequivocal about the immense contributions made by Dagar Bandhu to Indian classical music and said, “Without their and other exponents’ contributions, do you think modern singers would have survived?” SC told Singhvi “instead of going into legal niceties, you could give some respect to them. They’re not in commercial competition with you.”
