Penguin India Firmly Warns: Unauthorised Copies of Naravane Memoir Violate Copyright

Penguin Random House India (PRHI) on Monday clarified that no copies of Four Stars of Destiny, the memoir of former Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane, have been published yet, warning that any versions currently in circulation are unauthorised and illegal. The publisher said neither print nor digital editions of the book have been released, distributed, or made available to the public by it.

In a statement issued on X, PRHI said it holds the sole publishing rights to the memoir but stressed that the book is yet to be officially published. “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,” the publisher said.

The clarification follows reports that excerpts and purported copies of the manuscript are circulating publicly. PRHI said that any sharing of the material, “in whole or in part”, across formats, including print, PDFs, digital files, or any online or offline medium, constitutes copyright infringement.

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“Any copies of the book currently in circulation… constitute an infringement of PRHI’s copyright and must immediately be ceased,” the statement said, adding that the publisher would pursue all remedies available under law against the “illegal and unauthorised dissemination” of the work. PRHI did not specify the expected publication date of the memoir or detail the nature of the material allegedly leaked.

The issue has also entered the political spotlight after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was seen holding a purported copy of the memoir in the Parliament complex last week. He had sought to cite excerpts from the book in the Lok Sabha since February 2 but was prevented from doing so, as the memoir has not been formally published.

Meanwhile, Delhi Police have registered a case with the Special Cell to investigate the alleged leak or breach involving the yet-to-be-approved publication. General Naravane served as India’s Chief of the Army Staff from December 2019 to April 2022, and the publisher said its statement was issued to place its position “on record” ahead of the book’s official release.

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