Over 83,000 people, or ‘non-state subjects’, have received domicile certificates in the state of Jammu and Kashmir in the last two years, says the state government. In a written reply to PDP’s Waheed ur Rehman Para, the Jammu and Kashmir Revenue Department stated that out of 35,12,184 certificates issued through the department in the last two years, around 83,742 have been to those who did not earlier qualify as permanent residents in the state.

After Article 370

Under the Jammu and Kashmir Constitution, a citizen of India can be a permanent resident of the erstwhile state of J&K only under a few conditions: if on May 14, 1954, they were a state subject of class one or class two; if they lawfully acquired inmovable property in the state and were ordinarily resident in the state for not less than 10 years prior to that date; people who have migrated to areas that later became Pakistan but had returned to the state “under a permit for resettlement or for permanent return issued by or under the authority of any law made by the state legislature”

After the abrogation of Article 370 in May 2020, the Jammu and Kashmir administration issued a notice, called the Jammu and Kashmir ‘Grant of Domicile Certificate (Procedure) Rules 2020’, to define the new set of rules for issuing domicile certificates in the union territory.PDP leader Para said that the number of people receiving domicile in the last two years should be proved. “Since the certification is a key requirement for securing jobs, the larger figure here represents locals who are also required to secure domicile certificates.”