1 day, 3 clarifications: EC in knot over domicile certificate issue

Kolkata: In 3 clarifications issued over past 24 hours, Election Commission on Sunday made it clear that, regarding its order to accept domicile certificates, it will stick to a 27-year-old Left-era rule and accept only those issued to "non-Bengali candidates... for the purpose of appointment under defence and other paramilitary forces, and subsequent orders issued thereafter".

The SIR notification allows for 13 documents to be accepted during hearings, including domicile certificates. This clarification comes in the final leg of the SIR process in Bengal, when 95% of the SIR hearings are complete. The timelines for SIR hearings are likely to be pushed back by only a week. The SIR notification led to long queues at the Kolkata Collectorate and the KMC. In the past month, the Kolkata Collector issued 17,000 such certificates to applicants.


At the tail end of the process, with over 95% of hearings considered finished, the utility of these certificates remains unclear to many. However, officials believe that those who possess a PRC for Army recruitment purposes and do not yet appear for their hearings can still submit them.

The issue of the EC singling out Bengal and not accepting domicile certificates was flagged by CM Mamata Banerjee in her letters to chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and also during her appearance before the Supreme Court bench on Feb 3.

The EC issued a clarification on Saturday regarding the acceptance of Permanent Residence Certificates (PRC) or domicile certificates in SIR hearings, but on Sunday, it made it clear that this is not applicable to everyone. "The 1999 guideline restricts PRCs to non-Bengali candidates and is only for the purpose of appointment in the defence or central forces; therefore, EROs/AEROs have been asked to accept only such PRCs and reject anything outside that narrow scope. The PRC is admissible under SIR, but only if it is for the specified category. It cannot be considered a normal proof of residence. To be eligible for this PRC, the candidate or their parents must live in the state for 15 years or more, and it must be specified if the candidate was born in Bengal and whether their parents own immovable property or stay in office quarters or a rented house," an officer said.

A large number of domicile certificates were issued by DMs and other officials. This was discussed at a meeting last week with CEO Manoj Agarwal. An official noted that micro-observers flagged this issue before the CEO.

However, Nabanna differs with the EC's 15-year stay criteria. Officers said revised rules allow the competent authority to issue such certificates if someone continuously stayed in Bengal for the past 10 years. "Even candidates whose parents are permanent residents and who have a permanent home address here are eligible. Women married to Bengal residents can also obtain the domicile certificate, and owners of residential property are also eligible," the officer said.

The official added that to obtain a domicile certificate, one needs to provide IDs such as EPIC, Aadhaar, PAN, or a passport, along with age proof, proof of residence, and an affidavit. This can be filed online through the West Bengal e-District portal by selecting the domicile certificate category.