The Jammu & Kashmir government has decided to issue domicile certificates to the husbands of local women married to people from outside the state, in a significant move that will allow them to buy land or property in the Union territory, or apply for government jobs.
The certificates will be issued by district officials on producing proof of marriage.
Commissioner secretary to J&K government, Manoj Kumar Dwivedi, issued an order dated July 20 in which he specified that rules that make spouse of domicile certificate holder eligible for getting the certificate.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by the proviso to Article 309 of the Constitution of India, read with section 15 of the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services Act 2010, the government hereby directs in sub-rule (1) of rule 5 of the Jammu and Kashmir Grant of Domicile Certificate Rules 220, after S.No/Clause 6, the following shall be added,” the order read.
Women married to residents of the UT are automatically granted domicile status.
After Jammu and Kashmir’s special status was revoked and the region split into two Union territories in August last year, the government in May notified Jammu and Kashmir Grant of Domicile Certificate (Procedure) Rules, 2020, which specify the conditions and the process to obtain the documents required for applying to jobs and avail other privileges restricted to residents.
All people who have resided in the UT for 15 years, or have studied for seven years and appeared in Class 10 or 12 examination in an educational institution in the region, and their children, are eligible for grant of domicile status.
{{/usCountry}}All people who have resided in the UT for 15 years, or have studied for seven years and appeared in Class 10 or 12 examination in an educational institution in the region, and their children, are eligible for grant of domicile status.
{{/usCountry}}The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) welcomed the decision on Wednesday. “It’s a welcome step and our party’s stand was clear on this,” BJP’s J&K unit spokesperson Altaf Thakur said.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said the order is debatable. “Merits of the impact of individual orders may be debatable, but the bottom line remains who is doing it and how,” said party spokesperson Suhail Bukhari.