Naravane Book: How much punishment does one get for publishing a book before its publication? Controversy over General Naravane’s book

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Some excerpts from the autobiography of former Army Chief General Naravane have become public in recent times.

The proposed book of former Army Chief General (retd) Manoj Mukund Naravane is in discussion these days. Many types of controversies have come to light regarding this. those who have the right to publish itPenguin Random House India has clarified that the book has not been published yet and the leaked copies are a copyright infringement. Rahul Gandhi is continuously showing the same book and has made some of its contents public.This issue has been raised from the streets to the Parliament. While opposition leaders Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav are cornering the government inside the Parliament on this issue, other opposition leaders have also made statements.

Although, publishing a book, article or memoir in India comes under freedom of expression, but this freedom is not complete. Laws and service rules place limits on expression, particularly when it concerns national security, military secrets, or sensitive government information.

After some excerpts related to the proposed book of former Army Chief Naravane surfaced in the media, the same question again came into discussion that to what extent is it appropriate to make the excerpts of the book public before its publication? If it is illegal then what can be the punishment?

Punishment up to 14 years under the Official Secrets Act

In India, it is generally not a crime for a common citizen to share excerpts from a book before it is published, but this situation changes when the author is a current or former government official. The material should be related to national security, defense or foreign policy. The information falls in confidential category. According to the Official Secrets Act, 1923, if any book or article contains information which is related to army deployment, military strategy, intelligence information and sensitive border disputes and is not already public, then the Official Secrets Act, 1923 may apply. This can result in imprisonment of three to 14 years, fine or both. This punishment is applicable only if it is proved that the information was confidential and its publication was done without permission.

General Naravane Book Four Stars Of Destiny Row Punishment Of Leaking Content Before Publishing Book

Rahul Gandhi had cornered the Center regarding this book of General Naravane.

Punishment up to three years and fine for leaking content

Apart from the Official Secrets Act, there is also a provision for separate punishment for leaking the content of the book. Supreme Court Advocate Ashwani Kumar Dubey says that in India, leaking the content of a book before its publication is a serious offense under the Copyright Act, 1957, for which the punishment can be jail of 6 months to 3 years and a fine of Rs 50 thousand to Rs 2 lakh. If this content is leaked by a third person, then the author or publisher of the book can also file a damage suit in the civil court.

Provision for punishment in service rules also

Service rules remain applicable to officers serving or retired from Army, IAS, IPS and other higher government posts. In case of Army, even after retirement, pre-publication clearance from the Ministry of Defense is required. If a book is published without permission or excerpts from the book are given to the media, the author may have to face serious consequences. Pension related action, disciplinary notice, official warning can be given. However, this is not a criminal punishment, but an administrative action.

General Naravane Book Four Stars Of Destiny Row Punishment Of Leaking Content Before Publishing Book Rahul Gandhi

Penguin Random House India has clarified that the book has not been published yet and the leaked copies are a copyright infringement.

Question of defamation and national interest

If the excerpts from the book make serious allegations against the policies of the government, any institution or any individual and they are not certified, then a case of defamation can also be made. However, in India the law of defamation is applied in a relatively restrained manner.

Naravane’s book and recent controversies

Some excerpts from the proposed autobiography of former Army Chief General Naravane have become public in recent days. These excerpts reportedly mentioned that even after receiving information about Chinese Army tank movements near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh, no immediate public response was given. After these excerpts came to light, there was a wide discussion in the media. Questions related to national security arose.

The opposition sought answers from the government. This matter was also raised in Parliament. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, while mentioning this issue in Parliament, said that if such information is true then the country has the right to know the truth. He asked the government to clarify what was the actual situation on the border and how was the decision process at that time? Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav also supported Rahul Gandhi’s stand and said that transparency on national security is necessary. The government should be accountable. However, the government also said that not every information can be made public in matters related to national security.

Rahul Gandhi raised the issue

Stand of government and army

According to government sources and defense experts, there is constant communication between the army and the government. Sometimes silence is maintained for strategic reasons. It is not practical to immediately make public every military activity. It was also said that the context and interpretation of excerpts from the book may be incomplete before they are officially published. As soon as this issue was raised in Parliament, many ministers including Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said that where is the book quoting which the opposition leader is talking? They should be placed before the House.

General Naravane had shared the link of the book

Freedom of expression vs national security

This entire matter once again reminds us of the balance that has to be struck between freedom of expression and national security. Former military officers are entitled to share their experiences but they also have to ensure that no confidential information is exposed. The national interest should not be harmed.

Can every book be banned?

Military memoirs, autobiographies, strategic analyzes have been published earlier also in India. The only difference is that sensitive parts require prior investigation and permission. If this process is adopted, neither action is taken against the author nor questions are raised against the government.

The controversy over excerpts from former Army Chief Naravane’s book is not limited to just one person or one book. This debate forces us to think what should be the limit of information related to national security? How much does the public have the right to know? And how far does the responsibility of former officials extend? The law is clear that disclosing confidential information without permission can be punishable, but not every disclosure is a crime. The final decision depends on the facts, context and legal review. It is necessary to raise questions in a democracy, but at the same time it is equally important that the security of the country and the dignity of the institutions are maintained.

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