Members of the Indian Youth Congress hold a banner displaying the cover of an unpublished book titled ‘Four Stars of Destiny’ by former army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane during a protest demanding an explanation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. | Photo credit: PTI
Amid the controversy surrounding former Army General (retd) MM Naravane’s unpublished memoir Four Stars of Destiny, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) is working on detailed guidelines for serving and retired armed forces who want to publish books in future.
The proposed guidelines will specify the process that must be followed before any manuscript is released for publication.
A senior defense official confirmed that a meeting was recently held to create the new set of rules, during which a detailed presentation was made. The upcoming framework is expected to incorporate the provisions of the existing service rules as well as the Official Secrets Act.
Currently, there is no single consolidated law that specifically regulates the writing of books by retired army officers. Instead, service personnel and pensioners are subject to different legal and service frameworks. In both cases, national security and the protection of classified information remain the primary red lines.
There are no special service rules to prevent ex-servicemen or retired army officers from creating or publishing books. Freedom, however, operates within a legal gray zone. The Official Secrets Act continues to apply for life, even after retirement, making it a criminal offense to disclose classified information, sensitive operational details or any material prejudicial to national security.
While retired personnel are no longer governed by the Army Act or Army Disclosure Rules, statutory laws remain in effect. If the manuscript contains operational or sensitive details, authors are expected to submit it for MO approval. The relevant department will then verify and review the content before granting approval.
For serving military personnel, the rules are clear and binding. Defense Service Rules and Regulations require prior written permission before engaging in any literary, political or gainful activity outside of official duties. Requests are routed through the chain of command and may require clearance up to Army Headquarters or the Department of Defense, depending on the nature of the content.
Materials relating to classified information, operational details, internal procedures, equipment capabilities, intelligence inputs, or matters affecting national security or foreign relations are strictly prohibited. Even fictional works may face restrictions if they closely resemble actual operations or reveal identifiable details.
No copies of Naravane’s memoirs have been issued: Publisher
Maturity, judgment
Gene. Lt. (v.) DP Pandey said, “When a person retires from the army, he is as much a civilian as anyone else, but the aspect of the Official Secrets Act remains. After retirement, it largely depends on the maturity and judgment of the individual as to what to write and how to present it. One should avoid writing on matters which are classified and not in the domain of public security. But if any of their content in retirement falls under the liberal national security. Official Secret Act, prior authorization from the Department of Defense is required.
He further mentioned that, in his opinion, it is possible to write about materials that are already publicly available. There is a set process within the relevant services for granting permission to publish if the book mentions matters of national interest. If any information published in the book is found to be incorrect or illegal, there are legal provisions to deal with such violations.
On Tuesday (February 10, 2026), General Naravane backed Penguin Random House India’s (PRHI) statement that his memoirs had not been published. PRHI has clarified that it holds the exclusive publishing rights and that no hard or digital copies have been published or distributed. The clarification followed a first information report by the Delhi Police regarding the alleged illegal circulation of an unpublished manuscript. The dispute intensified after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi disputed the conflicting claims, prompting PRHI to say that the pre-order notices did not constitute disclosure.
In the case of civil servants, the Center in 2021 amended the Civil Servant Pension Code and prohibited officials in intelligence services or security-related organizations from disclosing any information related to their organization without the permission of the relevant authority. Retired officials will have to sign an undertaking to that effect and pension may be withheld or withdrawn for non-compliance.
Published – 11 Feb 2026 22:40 IST