'Laws already there, no need for new guidelines': Defence Secretary amid Naravane's unpublished memoir row

Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh said existing rules and laws already govern such matters, including the Official Secrets Act (OSA). He added that the key issue was not the absence of guidelines, but whether any existing rules had been bypassed.

New Delhi: Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh on Friday said he was not aware of any proposal to introduce new guidelines for retired Army officials for writing books, amid the controversy surrounding the unpublished memoirs of former Army chief M M Naravane.

Speaking to ANI, Singh said existing rules and laws already govern such matters, including the Official Secrets Act (OSA). He added that the key issue was not the absence of guidelines, but whether any existing rules had been bypassed.

"I am not, frankly, aware of this particular issue you are mentioning regarding whether new guidelines are being considered. There are existing guidelines, and the Official Secrets Act applies. In this case, the issue is not that guidelines do not exist; the issue is whether someone has tried to bypass them. From public sources, I know that the agencies are looking into this. However, I am not aware of any new guidelines, and in any case, existing guidelines and existing laws, particularly the OSA, do apply when it comes to sensitive matters," Rajesh Kumar Singh said.

This comes after a political row erupted after Rahul Gandhi attempted to cite General Naravane's memoir, titled 'Four Stars of Destiny', in Lok Sabha, bringing in the 2020 standoff against China into the discussion during the Budget Session.

The Delhi Police, on February 9, took cognisance of information found on various social media platforms and news forums claiming that a pre-print copy of the book 'Four Stars of Destiny' is being circulated and Special Cell has filed a case into the "purported leak/breach of a yet to be approved publication".

Earlier on Thursday, the Delhi Police Special Cell questioned Penguin India officials for two consecutive days in connection with the alleged leak of former Army Chief General M M Naravane's book, sources said.

According to sources, the questioning continued for several hours on both days, with investigators seeking detailed information about the handling and circulation of the manuscript and its digital files. Officials indicated that representatives of the publishing house may be called again in the coming days as the probe progresses.

Sources in the Special Cell said the investigation is currently being conducted on two separate lines.