Penguin Random House India (PRHI) has firmly stated that the forthcoming memoir by former Indian Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane, titled Four Stars of Destiny, remains unpublished in any format. The publisher emphasized that it exclusively holds the rights to the book and that no copies—whether in print or digital form—have been released, distributed, sold, or made available to the public.
This clarification comes in response to a growing controversy surrounding the alleged circulation of unauthorised versions of the manuscript. PRHI described any such copies currently in circulation, in whole or in part, and in any medium—including print, digital, PDF, online, or offline—as clear infringements of its copyright. The company has demanded that all such dissemination cease immediately and warned that it will pursue all available legal remedies against those responsible for the unauthorised sharing.
The statement was issued on February 9, 2026, via the publisher’s official X account (@PenguinIndia), underscoring PRHI’s position amid recent public discussions and media reports. It reiterated that the book has not gone into publication and that any circulating material is illegal.
The issue gained political attention during the ongoing Budget Session of Parliament. Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi referenced an alleged pre-print excerpt from the memoir—reportedly touching on the 2017 Doklam stand-off between India and China—while speaking on the motion of thanks to the President’s Address. His attempt to read the passage was met with strong objections from Union ministers, including Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, leading to heated exchanges, multiple adjournments, and eventual adoption of the motion by voice vote amid opposition protests.
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Separately, Delhi Police’s Special Cell has registered an FIR following reports on social media platforms and news forums about the availability of a pre-print copy online. The investigation aims to identify the source of the leak and determine how the material entered the public domain.
PRHI’s statement serves to set the record straight, affirming that no authorised edition exists and reinforcing its commitment to protecting the book’s copyright ahead of any official release.
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