Some newspapers have reported that after a meeting with officials on Saturday (June 13), Karnataka chief minister D.K. Shivakumar has instructed authorities to immediately provide residence certificates to those who require them for Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.However, according to the list of 11 documents released by the Election Commission (EC), a simple residential certificate is not sufficient. The commission specifically requires a permanent residence certificate (PRC) issued by the competent state authority.To obtain a residential certificate, documents such as Aadhaar, ration card, electricity/water bills, rental agreements, etc., are usually sufficient.For a PRC, additional proof is required showing permanent residence in the state for more than six years. This may include long-term ration cards, property records, or evidence of having studied in the state or resided in the state for more than six years.Only after verification of such documents can the competent authority – a tahsildar or a deputy tahsildar – issue the certificate.Also read: Bengal Police’s Arrest of a Prominent Anti-SIR Protester Is ‘Meant to Send a Message,’ Say Fellow ActivistsNow, the question which arises is: if the government hurriedly issues certificates without fully following these requirements, will the EC accept them?The West Bengal experienceWhen SIR was conducted in West Bengal, residents submitted domicile certificates issued by the state government to prove their citizenship status. Notably, these were not ordinary residence certificates but permanent residence (domicile) certificates.However, the EC initially rejected them, arguing that they did not satisfy its prescribed PRC requirements. It also underlined that even those who had already submitted domicile certificates could be issued fresh notices. As a result, then chief minister Mamata Banerjee publicly protested and later approached the Supreme Court.Only after these developments on February 9, the EC agreed to accept West Bengal domicile certificates as one of the documents to prove eligibility under the SIR, subject to several conditions.The conditions included:Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) could accept only those residence certificates issued in accordance with the West Bengal government order dated November 2, 1999.The certificates had to be issued only by competent authorities such as district magistrates, additional district magistrates, sub-divisional officers, or the district collector of Kolkata.The certificates had to be issued strictly according to government guidelines.All officials were required to be informed of and comply with these guidelines.This demonstrates the EC’s strict approach – even toward PRCs issued by a state government. The Supreme Court has also upheld the EC’s authority.On May 14, the EC announced the third phase of its SIR of electoral rolls, covering 16 states and three Union Territories, including Karnataka.The order directs:Logical discrepancy verification, which had so far been implemented only in West Bengal, must now be carried out in all states (Section 2(f) of the order).Under no circumstances can the already prescribed three-month timeline be extended (Section 3 of the order).In accordance with a Supreme Court directive, the draft electoral roll is to be displayed only for the information of voters and not for verification purposes (Section 2(a) of the order).Moreover, the Supreme Court in its judgement on the constitutionality of the SIR has upheld the power of the EC to formulate any processes and criteria that it deems necessary for the success of the SIR.States like Karnataka may face greater difficultiesThe ordinary residence certificate referred to by Shivakumar does not meet the PRC requirement under SIR.Given the West Bengal experience, only a Karnataka domicile certificate is likely to satisfy the commission’s PRC requirement.However, the same conditions imposed in West Bengal may effectively apply in Karnataka as well.Generally, to establish Karnataka domicile status, one may need to show:Residence in Karnataka for seven years,More than six years of education in Karnataka,Parents residing in Karnataka, orOwnership of property in Karnataka.These documents must then be verified and approved by a competent authority, usually a tahsildar or a higher-ranking official.Since the EC appears determined to use SIR to remove as many people as possible from electoral rolls on technical grounds, even minor procedural lapses in obtaining domicile certificates could be treated as discrepancies and lead to rejection.Karnataka’s chief electoral officer Ambu Kumar has already stated that “logical discrepancies” will be known only after draft electoral rolls are published in Karnataka as well.Consequently, Shivakumar’s general instruction to issue residence certificates to everyone who needs them is unlikely, by itself, to protect Dalit and other marginalised communities in Karnataka from the risks posed by SIR.For this reason, the instruction to issue residence certificates should itself not be viewed as a victory, nor as a cause for complacency .Therefore, let us remember:A residential certificate does not satisfy the PRC requirement.Obtaining a domicile certificate that may satisfy the PRC requirement is not easy for many eligible members of marginalised communities.Documents obtained without following proper procedure and authority may not be accepted by EC.Let SIR be completely withdrawn, let democracy survive. Shivasundar is a columnist and activist in Karnataka.