Delhi Police notice to Penguin India over ‘leaked’ copy of Narvane’s memoir

Delhi Police on Wednesday sent a notice to Penguin Random House India Private Limited after a pre-print copy of the unpublished book titled ‘Four Stars of Destiny’, authored by India’s former Army chief General M M Naravane was circulating online, according to reports.

The publisher has been asked by the authorities to join the investigation in the leak, along with some other questions to the publisher.

The Delhi Police on Monday had registered an FIR after taking cognisance of reports that a pre-print copy of an unpublished book is being circulated online without mandatory official clearance.

According to police sources, information surfaced on social media platforms and several news forums claiming that a pre-print version of the book was available on the internet even though the necessary approvals from competent authorities for its publication were yet to be obtained.

A preliminary verification by the police revealed that a type-set PDF copy of the book, bearing the same title and apparently prepared by Penguin Random House India Private Limited, was accessible on certain websites, sources said.

In addition, some online shopping and marketing platforms were found displaying the final cover of the book, giving the impression that it was already available for sale.

Penguin in response, clarified on Tuesday that it held the sole publishing rights for the book and cleared 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,” the statement read.

Considering the sensitivity of the matter, especially given the author’s former position as the Army chief, the case has been registered with the Special Cell of Delhi Police to probe the alleged leak or breach.

Investigators are examining how the manuscript was leaked, who uploaded it online, and whether any organised network was involved in circulating the unauthorised material.

The police are also scrutinising digital trails and coordinating with online platforms to trace the origin and spread of the PDF copy.

The development comes a week after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was seen holding what was claimed to be a copy of the book inside the Parliament complex.

The incident triggered a major political controversy, leading to disruptions of the Lok Sabha proceedings and the suspension of eight Members of Parliament for the remainder of the ongoing Budget session.

(with inputs from syndicated feed)