Bombay High Court restrains Sanjay Dutt-owned nightclub over music copyright

The Bombay High Court has issued an ad-interim order restraining Ballr, a luxury nightclub in Pune co-owned by actor Sanjay Dutt and Heramb Shelke, from playing copyrighted music without a valid license.

The legal action follows a petition by Phonographic Performance Limited (PPL) India, which alleges that the venue played various Bollywood and international hits—including tracks by Justin Bieber and Dua Lipa—without authorization. Court proceedings revealed that while the establishment had previously held a license, the agreement had expired and was not renewed.

Justice Sharmila U. Deshmukh granted the relief, prohibiting the management from publicly performing or communicating sound recordings assigned to PPL until proper non-exclusive public performance rights are obtained. PPL representatives stated the decision serves as a warning to commercial establishments regarding the legal consequences of unauthorized music usage.