No authorised copies exist: Naravane endorses publisher
Ex-Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane on Tuesday broke his silence surrounding the row over his memoir, Four Stars of Destiny, sharing a post by Penguin Random House India.
“This is the status,” General (Retired) Naravane wrote, endorsing the publisher’s claim that the book was never published and that no authorised copies exist.
The post shared by General Naravane was Penguin Random House India’s first official statement on the issue, which he had earlier reposted as well. In that statement, the publisher said it holds the sole publishing rights to Four Stars of Destiny and clarified that the book has not gone into publication.
It added that no copies — in print or digital form — have been published, distributed, sold or otherwise made available to the public by the publisher.
Penguin further warned that any copies of the book currently in circulation, in whole or in part and across any format or platform, would constitute copyright infringement, and said it would pursue legal remedies against the illegal and unauthorised dissemination of the material.
The publisher added that an announced book, a book available for pre-order and a published book are not the same, stressing that a book is considered “published” only when it is formally released and made available for purchase across retail platforms.
The clarification came as the Delhi Police registered an FIR over the alleged circulation of an unpublished book authored by General Naravane on social media.
In an official statement issued on Monday, the Delhi Police said it had 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 was being circulated without mandatory clearance from competent authorities.
A case has been registered with the Special Cell to carry out a detailed investigation into the alleged leak or breach of a yet-to-be-approved publication, the police said, adding that the probe is underway.
