Controversy over an unpublished memoir by former Army Chief General MM Naravane has led to a police investigation and a review of policies within the Ministry of Defence. The government is now moving towards establishing stricter rules on how active and retired military personnel write and publish books.
The issue centers on General Naravane's memoir, 'Four Stars of Destiny'. According to the publisher, Penguin Random House India, and the former Army Chief himself, the book has not been published yet. Nonetheless, a copy that appeared to be the manuscript was spotted in the hands of Rahul Gandhi in Parliament. A magazine has also published a report based on the book's contents.
What are the proposed new rules?
In the wake of this, the Ministry of Defence is creating a new rule about books on the Armed Forces. Under the proposed plan, both current and retired soldiers will need to get permission from the Ministry before they can write a book.
This rule is mainly aimed at retired veterans, as many share their experiences through writing after leaving service. Currently, there isn't a specific law covering the book-writing of retired military officers. Instead, different laws and service rules apply, depending on the material's nature and content.
Sources say that serious discussions are happening within the Ministry of Defence. These talks focus on drafting new rules to outline the procedures for writing and publishing military-related books.
The proposed rules are expected to detail the steps to take before writing or publishing a book, whose permission is needed, and what actions might follow if these guidelines are not followed.
Although the Ministry of Defence and the Army have chosen not to comment on the issue publicly, it seems that the new rules may be put into place soon.
What are the current legal provisions?
Sources indicate that there have been talks about including some of the provisions of current service policy as well as the Official Secrets Act into the new structure. Keeping information related to national security confidential is a top priority.
Currently, retired personnel are not prohibited from writing books under existing law, however, the Official Secrets Act remains in effect beyond retirement. If a retired person subsequently discloses information that is confidential or sensitive in nature, they will still be committing a crime.
Also Read | India sticks to e-cigarette ban. Here's what this means for smokers
The Official Secrets Act applies to all government employees, including members of the Armed Forces, and must be adhered to indefinitely after retirement. A lot of information is available to senior officers while in such positions; when writing about issues directly related to the officer's previous assignments, the officer must first obtain applicable clearance in order to do so.
If a book is concerns military operations, secret or classified information, it must be cleared by the Department of Defence before being allowed to be published. The Department must clear it with the appropriate section or department before an approval is given.
The restrictions for currently serving soldiers are stricter in nature. Written permission must be obtained for any articles, books or anything similar promoted by members of the military. All submissions must go through the Army Headquarters or the Ministry of Defence.
Publishing classified or secret information about military activities or use of weapons capabilities, intelligence information, or other like information would be prohibited under this new policy. Even fictional stories may not be allowed to be published if they include real military information or operations.
The new policy would formalise and clarify the previous expectations for retired personnel.
