The Government of India (GOI) Tuesday issued new domicile rules for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, according to which a person residing in the UT for at least 15 years will now be eligible to get a domicile certificate there. A person who has studied for a period of seven years and appeared for class 10th/12th examination in a school in the Jammu and Kashmir will also be eligible to be a domicile of the Union Territory.
Section 3A of the J&K Reorganisation (Adaptation of State Laws) Order 2020, under the J&K civil services (decentralisation and recruitment) Act define the domicile of Jammu and Kashmir as someone "who has resided for a period of fifteen years in the UT of J&K or has studied for a period of seven years and appeared in class 10th/12th examination in an educational institution located in the UT of J&K."
The new rules also include the children of central government officials, all India services officers, officials of PSUs, officials of statutory bodies, officials of central universities and recognised research institutes of the central government who have served in Jammu and Kashmir for at least 10 years or their children who fulfill any of the above criteria.
Registered migrants also eligible for domicile
According to the new rules, migrants registered by the Relief and Rehabilitation Commissioner (Migrants) will also be eligible to be a domicile of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. "Children of such residents of J&K as reside outside UT of J&K in connection with their employment or business or other professional or vocational reasons" but their parents are eligible.
Before August 5, when the Narendra Modi government revoked Article 35 A of the Constitution, the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly had the powers to define a resident of the state (now a union territory). Only residents of Kashmir were eligible to buy the property and apply for jobs.
