Chennai, Oct 22 (NationPress) In a dramatic development in the ongoing legal conflict between music legend R. Ilaiyaraaja and Sony Music Entertainment India Private Limited, the company on Wednesday chose not to provide the artist with the account statement that outlines revenue generated from the commercial utilization of his musical works.

The matter was reviewed by Justice N. Senthilkumar at the Madras High Court. Representing Sony Music, senior counsel Vijay Narayan stated that while the account statement had been presented in a sealed cover for the judge’s evaluation, it could not be disclosed to Ilaiyaraaja or his legal team due to the inclusion of confidential commercial data, such as earnings from platforms like Apple Music, Amazon Music, and Spotify.

He argued that Ilaiyaraaja must first establish his legal entitlement over the songs in question, which were composed for films for which he had already received payments from the producers.

Countering this, senior counsel S. Prabakaran, who represents Ilaiyaraaja, pointed out that the Supreme Court has consistently criticized the practice of submitting documents in sealed covers.

He urged the court to instruct Sony Music to reveal the details publicly, claiming that withholding such information obstructs transparency in judicial processes.

However, Justice Senthilkumar opted against unsealing the document at this point.

The court learned that Sony Music had previously approached the Supreme Court to transfer Ilaiyaraaja’s lawsuit from the Madras High Court to the Bombay High Court, where the company had filed a related civil suit in 2021, asserting itself as the rightful copyright owner of certain songs composed by the esteemed artist.

This case also seeks to prevent Ilaiyaraaja from claiming commercial rights over those works. Vijay Narayan further informed the court that a Supreme Court Bench, including Chief Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran, had issued notice to Ilaiyaraaja on October 15, 2025, with a hearing for the transfer plea scheduled for November 26.

In light of this, Justice Senthilkumar remarked that High Courts typically avoid proceeding with cases awaiting transfer before the apex court.

Consequently, the judge instructed the registry to schedule Ilaiyaraaja’s case for further proceedings on November 27, 2025, following the Supreme Court’s ruling on the transfer request. The account statement submitted by Sony Music will remain sealed until that time.