Delhi Police’s Special Cell has issued a notice to Penguin Random House India seeking clarifications over the yet-to-be-published memoir of former Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane, after allegations surfaced that versions of the manuscript were circulated without authorisation.
The book, titled Four Stars of Destiny, has become the centre of a growing legal and political controversy, with questions emerging over how alleged copies entered circulation if the memoir has not been formally released.
“Delhi Police Special Cell has issued a notice to Penguin India. Through the notice, several questions have been asked, and responses have been sought,” a Delhi Police official confirmed.
The move follows reports that portions of the manuscript may have been shared in digital or other formats. An FIR has already been registered, intensifying scrutiny of the circumstances under which the alleged copies surfaced.
Amid mounting speculation, General Naravane shared Penguin’s official statement on social media platform X, adding: “This is the status of the book.” The post underlined the publisher’s position that the memoir has not been published in any format.
In its earlier statement, Penguin asserted that it holds the sole publishing rights to Four Stars of Destiny and that no print or digital copies have been published, distributed, sold, or made available to the public. It warned that any version currently circulating — whether in print, PDF, or online — would amount to copyright infringement.
The controversy took a political turn after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi questioned the publisher’s claim. Speaking to reporters in the Parliament House complex, he cited a December 2023 post from Naravane’s X account which read: “Hello friends. My book is available now. Just follow the link. Happy reading. Jai Hind.”
“This is the tweet Mr Naravane has made. The point I am making is either Mr Naravane is lying, and I believe the (former) Army chief, I don’t think he will lie, or Penguin is lying. Both cannot be telling the truth,” Gandhi said. He also claimed the book appeared to be available on Amazon at the time.
Responding to the remarks, Penguin issued a clarification titled “A quick guide to how book publishing works at Penguin Random House India,” stating: “An announced book, a book available for pre-order, and a published book are not the same thing.”
Gandhi further alleged that the memoir contains material that may be politically uncomfortable for the government, though he did not cite specific excerpts.
With the police now formally seeking answers, what began as a publishing dispute has escalated into a sensitive legal and political flashpoint involving a former Army chief and one of India’s largest publishing houses.
Also read: General Naravane breaks silence on memoir row
Follow us
