Beyond Naravane: 19-Year Legal Battle Shadows Ex-Army Officer's Book on R&AW Secrets
The General is not alone. There are other senior Army officers who have risked publishing tell-all books after their retirement, and paid a heavy price for it. This pattern has resurfaced with the government's recent move to block former Army Chief General M M Naravane's autobiography, Four Stars of Destiny, from publication, placing it "under review" for over a year.
A Decades-Long Legal Ordeal
Consider this: It has been 19 years since the Government filed a case against Major General V K Singh, who retired in 2002, over his book India's External Intelligence — Secrets of Research and Analysis Wing published by Manas Publications. Soon after the book was released in 2007, the Central Bureau of Investigation filed a case under the Official Secrets Act against Maj Gen Singh, who had served a four-year stint on deputation with R&AW until 2004, including post-retirement extensions.
His house in Gurugram was raided, and his computer, passport, and diaries were impounded. Today, Maj Gen Singh, now 81, remains on bail while the OSA trial against him "hasn't even begun" in earnest. Last month, his plea for obtaining copies of documents on the basis of which he was being prosecuted reached the Supreme Court.
Voices from the Ground
Speaking to The Indian Express, Maj Gen Singh, who was with the Corps of Signals, said he was "very clear" that there was no gag order on retired Army officers or written instructions that they had to submit their book manuscripts for vetting to the Defence Ministry. Asked about General Naravane's book, he remarked, "It is the first time I am hearing that it is the publisher that has sent the manuscript for clearance to the Defence Ministry. If at all, as a precaution, it is the retired Army officer and not the publisher who should ask for the review."
Excerpts from General Naravane's memoir were published by news agency Press Trust of India on December 18, 2023, and the publisher Penguin Random House had planned a launch in January 2024. According to Maj Gen Singh, Section 21 of the 1954 Army Rules — which states that any personnel publishing a book should not do so "without the prior sanction of the Central Government" — was relevant only to serving defence personnel.
Legal Nuances and Broader Implications
Besides, he noted that the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules 1972 applied to retirees from agencies such as the Intelligence Bureau and Border Security Force, and not those from the armed forces. "The amended rules of 2021 apply only to civilian officers working in sensitive organisations. They do not apply to us, and a number of retired Army and R&AW officers have published books in these two decades since I was targeted. Hardly any retired officer submits his manuscript for clearance," he explained.
"It is a case like mine, which is into its 20th year, that has put fear in retired defence personnel, including those in the Army. Many of them proceed on deputation to organisations like R&AW, National Technical Research Organisation, and the Defence Research Development Organisation, but they do not now want to take the risk of writing books on sensitive aspects of their assignments," he added.
Whistleblower Claims and Ongoing Court Battles
Maj Gen Singh said he was acting more as a "whistleblower" while describing potential areas of corruption inside R&AW in his book. In the OSA case against him, the CBI listed several "secret revelations" as a breach of secrecy on his part, including details related to the charter and duties of R&AW, upgradation of the agency's technical capabilities, and locations of some R&AW stations.
In 2009, the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate ordered that all relevant documents on the basis of which the charge sheet was filed be supplied to Maj Gen Singh and his lawyers. The CBI challenged the move, and the case has dragged on since then. In September 2025, the Delhi High Court ruled that portions of the documents which "were likely to affect the sovereignty and integrity of India" would be blackened out by the CBI, and the documents would only be available "for inspection" between 9 am and 9 pm. This order has now been challenged by Maj Gen Singh in the Supreme Court.
A Plea for Justice
The retired officer's plea before the apex court is that he has been "facing prosecution for almost 18 years in a matter arising out of his book published in public interest, and continued trial in violation of due process would exacerbate mental, physical, and financial hardship, undermining the very notion of justice." The apex court has issued a notice to the CBI on the Special Leave Petition.
Meanwhile, General Naravane had given up on his autobiography ever hitting the bookstands, switching subsequently to military fiction. When his work of fiction The Cantonment Conspiracy was published last year, he had told The Indian Express: "I have moved on." This shift underscores the chilling effect that such prolonged legal battles can have on retired officers seeking to share their experiences.
