Amid the controversy surrounding former Army Chief General (retired) M.M. Naravane’s unpublished memoirFour Stars of Destiny, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) is working on detailed guidelines for serving and retired armed forces personnel who wish to publish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.
Delhi Police register FIR under IT Act, BNS over circulation of former Army chief’s unpublished book
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.
