Amid Naravane memoir row, Defence Ministry plans fresh norms

Amid the controversy surrounding former Army Chief General (retired) M.M. Naravane’s unpublished memoirFour Stars of Destiny, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) is working on detailed guidelines for serving and retired armed forces personnel who wish to publish books in future.

The proposed guidelines will spell out the process to be followed before any manuscript is cleared for publication.

A senior defence official confirmed that a meeting was held recently to frame a new set of rules, during which a detailed presentation was made. The upcoming framework is expected to incorporate provisions of existing service rules as well as the Official Secrets Act.

At present, there is no single consolidated law specifically governing book-writing by retired Army officers. Instead, different legal and service frameworks apply to serving personnel and retirees. In both cases, national security and protection of classified information remain the primary red lines.

There are no specific service rules barring ex-servicemen or retired Army officers from authoring or publishing books. However, the freedom operates within a legal grey area. The Official Secrets Act continues to apply for life, even after retirement, making it a criminal offence 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 rules in matters of publication, statutory laws remain applicable. If a manuscript contains operational or sensitive details, authors are expected to submit it to the MoD for clearance. The relevant department then verifies and cross-checks the content before granting approval.

For serving Army personnel, the rules are explicit and mandatory. Service rules and defence service regulations require prior written permission before undertaking any literary, political or remunerative activity outside official duties. Requests are routed through the chain of command and may require clearance up to Army Headquarters or the MoD, depending on the nature of the content.

Material relating to classified information, operational details, internal procedures, equipment capabilities, intelligence inputs, or issues affecting national security or foreign relations is strictly prohibited. Even fictional works may face restrictions if they closely resemble real operations or disclose identifiable details.

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

Maturity, judgment

Lt. Gen. (retd.) D.P. Pandey said, “When an Army person retires, he or she is as much a civilian as anyone else but the facet of Official Secrets Act remains. After retirement, it largely comes down to individual’s maturity and judgment regarding what to write and how to present it. One should avoid writing on matters that are classified and not in open domain. However, retired personnel are free to express their personal opinions about politics and matters of national security. If any content falls under the Official Secrets Act, prior permission from the MoD is required.”

He further mentioned that in his view, material that is already in the public domain can be written about. There is a laid-down process within the respective Services to grant permission for publication if a book mentions issues related to national interest. If any information published in a book is found to be incorrect or unlawful, there are legal provisions to deal with such infringements.

On Tuesday (February 10, 2026), Gen. Naravane endorsed Penguin Random House India’s (PRHI) statement that his memoir has not been published. PRHI clarified it holds sole publishing rights and that no print or digital copies have been released or distributed. The clarification followed a First Information Report by the Delhi Police over alleged illegal circulation of the unpublished manuscript. The row intensified after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi questioned conflicting claims, prompting the PRHI to state that pre-order announcements do not amount to publication.

In the case of civil servants, the Centre had amended the Pension Rules for Civil Servants in 2021, prohibiting retired officials in intelligence or security related organisations to publish any information related to their organisation without clearance from the competent authority. The retired officials will have to sign an undertaking to the effect and pension could be withheld or withdrawn for failure to comply with the rules.