The interim order was issued on February 13 by Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, who agreed that allowing the composer to distribute the works could cause irreparable harm to the music label
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The Delhi High Court has temporarily restrained veteran composer Ilaiyaraaja from exploiting musical works and sound recordings owned by Saregama India Limited, in a fresh copyright dispute. The interim order was issued on February 13 by Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, who agreed that allowing the composer to distribute the works could cause irreparable harm to the music label.
The injunction covers copyrighted material from up to 134 films registered with Saregama, and bars Ilaiyaraaja and anyone acting on his behalf from using, licensing or asserting ownership of those works, including on digital streaming platforms like Amazon Music, iTunes and JioSaavn, until further orders.
Saregama filed the suit after the composer allegedly uploaded and authorised several of its catalogue tracks on digital services in early February 2026 and claimed rights over them. The company contended that it holds exclusive worldwide and perpetual copyrights in the sound recordings, as well as the underlying musical and literary works, under contracts it entered between 1976 and 2001.
The interim relief aligns with earlier rulings underscoring that producers and rights holders, not composers, are generally first owners of musical works created for films unless expressly agreed otherwise under the Copyright Act, 1957.
Senior Advocate Chander M Lall and a team of lawyers represented Saregama in court. The case is expected to return for further hearings as the copyright battle continues.