Srinagar, July 22: In the major development, the Jammu and Kashmir government has decided to issue domicile certificates to the husbands of local women married to people from outside the state. For this, a clause has been added to the Jammu and Kashmir Grant of Domicile Certificate (Procedure) Rules, 2020.
With that new rule, a person can get a domicile certificate after showing the domicile certificate of his wife as well as valid proof of marriage. This is a significant move because it will now allow them to buy land or property in the Union territory, or apply for government jobs there. Before this, domicile was not allowed for the spouses of women residents who married outside the UT.
Commissioner Secretary to J&K government, Manoj Kumar Dwivedi, issued an order dated July 20 in which he specified the rules that make the 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.
On April 4, the Centre issued a gazette notification defining the domicile of the newly bifurcated Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir. It states that a domicile of J&K is one 'who has resided for 15 years in J&K, or has studied for 7 years and appeared in Class 10/12 exam in J&K,or is registered as migrant by the Relief and Rehabilitation Commissioner.'
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.
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