Pune Publisher Destroys 45,000 Copies of Govind Pansare’s Shivaji Book Amid Copyright and Content Tampering Allegations

A Pune publisher destroyed 45,000 copies of Govind Pansare’s Shivaji book after the family alleged copyright violations and content alterations.

on Jun 02, 2026

Pune Publisher Destroys 45,000 Copies of Govind Pansare’s Shivaji Book Amid Copyright and Content Tampering Allegations

Pune Publisher Destroys 45,000 Copies of Govind Pansare’s Shivaji Book Over Copyright Violation Issue

A big row has erupted among publishers in Maharashtra after a Pune-based publisher revealed that it has published an unauthorized version of a best-selling book on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj penned by deceased leftist intellectual and activist Govind Pansare. The publisher has destroyed 45,000 recently published copies of the book following the accusation of copyright violation and misrepresentation.

The row broke out when the Pansare family openly accused Madhushree Publication of publishing the book without taking prior permission from Uma Pansare, widow of Govind Pansare and copyright owner of the book. Other than copyright issues, the family also accused the publisher of making many changes to the book, such as deleting several chapters and replacing it with old information that was not consistent with the updated version of the book.

Ashtekar of Madhushree Publications apologized for the blunder and accepted responsibility. In a media interview, he said that it was the PDF format of the book online that had led to their decision to publish the book because the intention was to make the book available to people at reasonable prices.

“Having seen the PDF form of the book, we considered that to be a valid source and went ahead with our plans to print it. But once we became aware of the problem, I realized it was not only illegal but also an editorial blunder. We immediately stopped our plans and burnt 45,000 copies of the book,” Ashtekar said.

However, Smita Pansare, daughter of the author, clarified that this is not only a publishing dispute. She revealed that there were only three publishers that were permitted by Uma Pansare to publish the recent versions of the book. Smita added that the version of the book published without authorization used an old version of the book, as her father had revised the book many times during his lifetime.

However, there have been indications that the family plans to issue a legal notice to the publisher with the intent of ensuring that all copies of this edition are withdrawn and destroyed if any copies have been disseminated.

The content of the book has become the subject of concern even among publishers, including Prashant Ambi of Sau Publications, which is one of the authorized publishers. According to Ambi, some critical chapters in the book were left out, and he also pointed out that out-of-date information in the book might give wrong interpretations of the history and even Pansare’s portrayal of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

While this event raises more awareness regarding copyright issues within the industry and the need for publishers to ensure that they are using the most updated information, it highlights the need to respect the rights of authors to their revised works, especially when writing on history and issues affecting the general population.

In this case, good intentions can no longer be the solution.