The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a transfer petition filed by renowned composer Ilaiyaraaja seeking to shift a copyright suit involving 536 musical works from the Bombay High Court to the Madras High Court. The petition was rejected by a Bench comprising Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justices Vinod Chandran and NV Anjaria.
The legal dispute stems from a 2022 suit filed by Sony Music Entertainment India in the Bombay High Court, which seeks to restrain Ilaiyaraaja’s firm – Ilaiyaraaja Music N Management Pvt Ltd (IMMPL) – from using 536 compositions. Sony claims rights over the catalogue through assignments made by Echo Recording and Oriental Records.
IMMPL argued that 310 of the 536 works are already subject to ongoing proceedings in the Madras High Court, originating from a 2014 suit by Ilaiyaraaja against Echo Recording. In that case, the Madras High Court ruled in 2019 that while Echo retained the sound recording rights, Ilaiyaraaja retained moral and special rights to the compositions.
IMMPL contended that the Bombay suit replicates issues pending appeal in Madras, and proceeding simultaneously in two courts could lead to conflicting judgments. They also highlighted that the Bombay case is in early stages, whereas the Madras matter is more advanced.
Despite these arguments, the Supreme Court declined to transfer the case, allowing the Bombay suit to proceed.