Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
Chennai, October 22 (IANS) Musician R. In a significant turn in the ongoing legal tussle between Ilaiyaraaja and Sony Music Entertainment India Pvt Ltd, the company on Wednesday refused to provide the musician with details of the revenue earned from the commercial use of his compositions.
This matter was before Justice N. of Madras High Court. Came for hearing before Senthilkumar. Senior advocate Vijay Narayana, appearing for Sony Music, said his client had produced the details of the accounts in a sealed cover for the judge’s perusal, but it could not be shared with Ilaiyaraaja or his lawyer as the document contained confidential business information, including revenue from platforms like Apple Music, Amazon Music and Spotify.
He argued that Ilaiyaraaja could not seek such data unless he first established his legal rights over the songs, which were composed for films for which he had already received remuneration from the producers.
Opposing this argument, senior lawyer S. representing Ilaiyaraaja said. Prabhakaran said the Supreme Court has repeatedly rejected the practice of submitting documents in sealed envelopes.
He urged the court to direct Sony Music to disclose details openly, saying withholding such information reduces transparency in judicial proceedings.
However, Justice Senthilkumar decided against opening the sealed cover at this stage.
The judge was informed that Sony Music had already approached the Supreme Court seeking transfer of Ilaiyaraaja’s case from the Madras High Court to the Bombay High Court, where the company had filed a related civil suit in 2021 to declare itself the rightful copyright holder of certain songs composed by the veteran musician.
In that case, a demand was also made to stop Ilaiyaraaja from claiming commercial rights on those works. Vijay Narayan further told the court that Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justice K. The Supreme Court division bench of Vinod Chandran had issued notice to Ilaiyaraaja on October 15, 2025, and was expected to hear the transfer plea on November 26.
Considering this, Justice Senthilkumar said that high courts generally refrain from proceeding on matters pending before the apex court.
Accordingly, the judge directed the registry to list Ilaiyaraaja’s case for further hearing on November 27, 2025, after the Supreme Court’s decision on the transfer petition. The details of the accounts presented by Sony Music will remain open till then.
–IANS
all/and