Amid Naravane memoir row, Defence Ministry plans fresh norms

Defence Ministry plans new guidelines for armed forces personnel publishing books amid Naravane memoir controversy and national security concerns.

Amid the controversy surrounding former Army Chief General (retired) M.M. Naravane’s unpublished memoirFour Stars of Destiny, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) is working on detailed guidelines for serving and retired armed forces personnel who wish to publish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.

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.

There are no specific service rules barring ex-servicemen or retired Army officers from authoring or publishing books. However, the freedom operates within a legal grey area. The Official Secrets Act continues to apply for life, even after retirement, making it a criminal offence to disclose classified information, sensitive operational details, or any material prejudicial to national security.

While retired personnel are no longer governed by the Army Act or Army rules in matters of publication, statutory laws remain applicable. If a manuscript contains operational or sensitive details, authors are expected to submit it to the MoD for clearance. The relevant department then verifies and cross-checks the content before granting approval.