No copies of Naravane's memoir have gone into publication: Publisher

Penguin Random House India (PRHI) has said it holds the exclusive publishing rights to former Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane's memoir titled Four Stars of Destiny, and clarified that the book has not yet been published, amid reports of unauthorised copies in circulation.

The clarification came after the Delhi Police registered an FIR over the alleged illegal circulation of the manuscript in digital and other formats.

In a statement issued on Monday, the publishing house clarified that no copies of the book -- either in print or digital form -- have been released to the public.

“Penguin Random House India would like to clarify that we hold the sole publishing rights for the book ‘Four Stars of Destiny’, a memoir by General Manoj Mukund Naravane, former Chief of the Indian Army. We wish to make it clear that the book has not gone into publication,” the publisher said in a statement.

It further said that no copies of the book “in print or digital form -- have been published, distributed, sold, or otherwise made available to the public” by the company.

The publisher also warned that any version of the book currently circulating, whether in full or in part and in any format, including print, PDF or online copies, would amount 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, constitutes an infringement of PRHI’s copyright and must immediately be ceased,” the statement said, adding that it would pursue legal remedies against the unauthorised dissemination of the material.

According to the Delhi police, a case has been registered with the Special Cell to carry out a thorough investigation into the alleged leak or breach of a yet-to-be-approved publication, and an investigation is being taken up.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was seen flashing a purported copy of the book in the Parliament complex last week. He wanted to cite excerpts from the memoir in the Lok Sabha since February 2, but has been stopped as it has not yet been published.