From 2020 to 2024, the Defence Ministry cleared 35 books by retired military personnel, but former Army chief General M M Naravane's memoir Four Stars of Destiny stands alone as pending. The book, cited by Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi in his criticism of the government, highlights unusual delays in the approval process. An RTI response reveals this outlier amid rising submissions.
Former Army chief General M M Naravane's memoir Four Stars of Destiny stands out as the only book still pending clearance from the Defence Ministry, despite 35 others by retired military personnel being approved from 2020 to 2024. According to an RTI response dated September 17, 2024, to an application filed by The Indian Express in January that year, three titles were initially listed as uncleared, but General N C Vij's Alone in the Ring was released in May 2025, and Brigadier Jeewan Rajpurohit's Leadership Beyond Barracks has been cleared and awaits publication.
The book, set for release by Penguin Random House, has not received comments on its status from the ministry or publisher. General Naravane served as Army chief from 2019 to 2022, a period marked by escalating tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China. Excerpts published by PTI in December 2023 recount his conversations with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on August 31, 2020, regarding Chinese tanks advancing towards the Rechin La area in Eastern Ladakh.
RTI data shows a sharp rise in submissions: one in 2020, none in 2021, four in 2022, 16 in 2023 (including Naravane's), and 14 in 2024 up to September. Recently cleared books include those by Lt General S A Hasnain, Lt General S K Gadeock, and others. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stated, 'We have a great deal of respect for him (General Naravane)… Rahul Gandhi used his name and heft to mock.'
