Delhi Police has added criminal conspiracy sections to the FIR in the alleged leak of General MM Naravane’s unpublished memoir, escalating the controversy that began in Parliament.
Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi holds the book 'Four Stars of Destiny' by former Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane at the Parliament premises during the ongoing budget session, in New Delhi on Wednesday. (AICC/ANI Photo)
The Delhi Police has added sections related to criminal conspiracy in the FIR filed in connection with the alleged leak of the unpublished memoir of former Army Chief General MM Naravane (Retd.), news agency ANI mentioned sources as saying on Wednesday.
The move comes as the Special Cell also issued a notice to Penguin India, seeking responses to a set of questions in connection with the controversy surrounding excerpts from Naravane’s unpublished memoir, Four Stars of Destiny.
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A political row broke out after Gandhi sought to quote from what he described as a “pre-print book” version of General Naravane’s memoir during proceedings in the Lok Sabha. Treasury bench members objected, and the Speaker subsequently ruled that the Leader of Opposition should not cite unpublished material in the House.
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On Tuesday, speaking to reporters outside Parliament, Gandhi cited a 2023 post by General Naravane on X and claimed the memoir was available for sale online.
“Hello friends, my book is available now. Just follow the link. Happy Reading, Jai Hind. This is the tweet Mr Naravane made. Either he is lying, which I don’t believe, or the Penguin (publisher) is lying. Both cannot be telling the truth. Penguin says the book has not been published. But the book is available on Amazon. Gen. Naravane has tweeted, ‘Please buy my book’ in 2023. I believe Naravane over Penguin. Do you believe Penguin over Naravane? I believe Naravane has made certain statements in his book which are inconvenient for the Government of India and the Prime Minister. Obviously, you have to decide if Penguin or the former Army chief is telling the truth,” said the Congress MP.
In response, former Army Chief General Naravane confirmed that his memoir has not yet been published. Sharing a post on X, he wrote, “This is the status of the book.”
Penguin Random House India also reiterated its position in a fresh statement, clarifying that while the book had been announced and listed for pre-order, it had not entered publication, distribution or sale. Any circulating copies, the publisher said, were unauthorised and would amount to copyright infringement.
“A book is considered published only when it is available for purchase across retail channels,” Penguin Random House said in a statement posted on its social media platforms. “Pre-order is a standard publishing practice. It allows readers and retailers to place advance orders. The book is not yet published or available,” it said.
The BJP has sharply criticised Gandhi over the episode. Party national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla accused the Congress leader of disregarding parliamentary norms.
“Rahul Gandhi has become a laughing stock and the biggest embarrassment for the nation. He mentions the wrong year on paper when bringing a no-confidence motion against the speaker. Penguin Publishing had to clarify that it has not published the book. Rahul Gandhi thinks of himself as above the rules and regulations of the Parliament,” Poonawala told ANI.
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