Delhi Court Fines Rakshit Shetty ₹25 Lakhs

A recent development has come as a setback for the production house Paramvah Studios, which is owned by Kannada star Rakshit Shetty. The Delhi High Court has imposed a fine of ₹25 lakh on the production house for the unauthorised use of songs scored by someone else in the film Bachelor Party, which was released in 2024. The film, produced by Rakshit Shetty, has Diganth Manchale, Yogesh, and Achyuth Kumar in the lead roles, and got a mixed reception at the Box office.

The case is going on from a time when the songs “Nyaya Ellide” and “Omme Ninnanu” used in the movie are actually acquired by MRT Music earlier. Ever since the legal battle started, the court has made Paramvah Studios deposit ₹20 lakhs towards the licensee fee, and now an additional ₹5 lakhs should be paid as an additional penalty. This is no shocker, but expected for Rakshit Shetty's production house, because usage of old songs and remixed versions of copyrighted songs is resulting in hefty damage to the producers due to the legal fines.

In recent times, music rights have become a serious business. We have seen multiple cases where even small clips or background usage without permission have led to legal trouble. Even the likes of Ilayaraja have taken the likes of Mythri Movie Makers to Court, before collecting more than ₹1 crore from them as a fee for a single song used, if reports are to be believed. While filmmakers might see it as a minor usage or overlook clearances during production, Courts are clearly sending a message that copyrighted songs should be legally bought before use.