'No Copies Published': Penguin India On Row Over Circulation Of Ex-Army Chief's Pre-Print Book

Last Updated:February 10, 2026, 06:59 IST

Penguin Random House India clarified it holds sole rights to 'Four Stars of Destiny' by Manoj Mukund Naravane, warning against copyright infringement.

Penguin Random House India has issued a formal clarification on social media platform X, stating that it holds the sole publishing rights for ‘Four Stars of Destiny’, the memoir of former Army chief Manoj Mukund Naravane, and emphasising that the book has not yet been published in any format.

In its post, the publisher said it was responding to “recent public discourse and media reporting" around the alleged circulation of a pre-print version of the manuscript.

“We wish to make it clear 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 company said.

The statement went on to warn that any version of the book currently being circulated amounts to copyright infringement.

“Any copies of the book currently in circulation, in whole or in part, whether in print, digital, PDF, or any other format, online or offline, on any platform, constitute an infringement of PRHI’s copyright and must immediately be ceased," it read.

The publisher added that it “shall be exercising remedies available in law against the illegal and unauthorised dissemination of the book," concluding that the note was being issued “to place the publisher’s position on record."

The post comes amid a police investigation into claims that an unpublished version of the memoir is being shared online.

A political fallout was also trigerred and a row erupted after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi attempted to quote from what he described as the pre-print book during his speech in the Lok Sabha on the motion of thanks to the President’s Address, drawing strong objections from treasury benches and repeated adjournments before the motion was eventually adopted by voice vote.

Gandhi was later seen flashing a purported copy of the book in the Parliament complex, and the issue led to major disruptions in the House, culminating in the suspension of eight MPs for the remainder of the Budget session.

The Delhi Police said it had taken cognisance of information circulating on social media platforms and news forums alleging that a pre-print copy of ‘Four Stars of Destiny’ was available without mandatory clearance from relevant authorities.

An official told news agency ANI that on verification, police found that “a PDF copy of a typeset book with the same title, apparently prepared by M/S Penguin Random House India Pvt. Limited, is available on certain websites," and that some online marketing platforms had displayed the finished book cover “as if it is available for purchase."

The Special Cell subsequently registered a case to investigate what was described as a “purported leak/breach of a yet to be approved publication."

“The Delhi Police has 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’ is being circulated without mandatory clearance from competent authorities," the police statement said.

Police reiterated that the required clearance for publication was still awaited and that the probe would examine how the material surfaced in the public domain.

News india 'No Copies Published': Penguin India On Row Over Circulation Of Ex-Army Chief's Pre-Print Book

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