Delhi Police Files Case Over Leak Of Ex-Army Chief's Unapproved Book 'Four Stars Of Destiny'

New Delhi: Following the controversy, the Delhi Police have filed an First Information Report (FIR) following the alleged unauthorised leak and circulation of an unpublished book by former Chief of Army Staff MM Naravane on social media platforms, as per the official statement. 

The FIR follows a major political row sparked by a report on how Congress leader Rahul Gandhi obtained a copy of General Naravane’s memoir, 'Four Stars of Destiny'.

The book has been in limbo for over a year awaiting mandatory clearance from the Ministry of Defence (MoD). While Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh maintained in Parliament that the book "does not exist" and has never been published, Gandhi brandished a physical copy in the Lok Sabha, challenging the government's stance and using its reported contents to criticize their handling of border issues.

What the statement read

The statement stated, “The Delhi Police has taken cognisance of information circulating on social media platforms and online news forums claiming that a pre-print copy of a book titled Four Stars of Destiny is being circulated without mandatory clearance from competent authorities,”

" Upon verification, it was found that a PDF copy of a typeset book with the same title, apparently prepared by M/S Penguin Random House India Pvt. Limited, is available on certain websites, and some online marketing platforms have displayed the finished book cover as if it is available for purchase," the official added.

The Police said that in order to carry out a thorough investigation into "this purported leak/breach of a yet to be approved publication, a case has been registered with the Special Cell, and an investigation is being taken up".

Rahul Gandhi waved a copy

Political firestorm also erupted after  Rahul Gandhi waved a copy of former Army Chief General Naravane's memoir outside the Parliament last week.

The The leak of the manuscript sparked a major political standoff, leading to repeated disruptions of Lok Sabha proceedings. The tension reached a boiling point when eight opposition MPs were suspended for the remainder of the Budget session due to "unruly behavior" after protesting the government's refusal to let Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi quote from the unreleased memoir.

Penguin Random House issues statement

Following the furore, Penguin Random House has now issued a statement that it holds the sole publishing rights of the book ‘Four Stars of Destiny’ and no copies have been published yet.

“In light of recent public discourse and media reporting, Penguin Random House India would like to clarify that we hold the sole publishing rights for the book Four Stars of Destiny, a memoir by General Manoj Mukund Naravane, former Chief of the Indian Army,” the publishing house stated.

"We wish to make it clear that the book has not gone into publication. No copies of the book in print or digital form have been published, distributed, sold, or otherwise made available to the public by Penguin Random House India," it added.

“Any copies of the book currently in circulation, in whole or in part, whether in print, digital, PDF, or any other format, online or offline, on any platform, constitutes an infringement of PRHI's copyright and must immediately be ceased. Penguin Random House India shall be exercising remedies available in law against the illegal and unauthorised dissemination of the book,” the publishing house clarified.\

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