Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday stated that former Army chief General MM Naravane's book, which he mentioned in the Parliament, is available on Amazon and that Naravane himself sent him the pre-order link for the book.
Gandhi's remark follows a statement from the book's publisher, Penguin Random House India, which said that the book has not been released in any form and has not been published or sold.
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On Monday, the Penguin Random House India (PRHI) issued a statement asserting its exclusive publishing rights over 'Four Stars of Destiny', the memoir of former Chief of Indian Army General Manoj Mukund Naravane.
Statement from Penguin
In its statement, the publisher said that the book has not yet been published and no authorised copies, in print or digital form, were released, sold or made available to public.
"We wish to make it clear that the book has not gone into publication. No copies of the book - in print or digital form - have been published, distributed, sold, or otherwise made available to the public by Penguin Random House India," the statement said.
"Penguin Random House India would like to clarify that we hold the sole publishing rights for the book 'Four Stars of Destiny', a memoir by General Manoj Mukund Naravane, former Chief of the Indian Army. We wish to make it clear that the book has not gone into publication," the publisher stated.
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"Any copies of the book currently in circulation, in whole or in part, whether in print, digital, PDF, or any other format, online or offline, on any platform, constitutes an infringement of PRHI's copyright and must immediately be ceased," the statement added.
Publisher warns of legal action
The publisher stated that it would seek legal action against what it called the unauthorised distribution of the manuscript.
This action by the publishing house came after the Delhi Police registered a case. The police said the matter has been given to the Special Cell for an investigation into the reported leak or breach involving a publication that has not yet been approved for release. Officials have confirmed that the investigation is ongoing.
