New Delhi, July 10 (IANS). Union Minister of State Shobha Karandlaje has written a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah seeking immediate intervention regarding the Karnataka Permanent Residence Certificate, 2026 implemented by the Karnataka government. He said that this system raises serious questions related to the Constitution, law and national security, hence the Central Government should investigate it immediately.
In the letter, Shobha Karandlaje said that the Constitution of India provides for only one citizenship for the citizens of the entire country. In such a situation, creating a separate category like ‘permanent resident’ by the Karnataka government is against the basic spirit of the Constitution. Such classification is neither authorized under the Constitution nor any law.
He alleged that this arrangement also violates Article 14 of the Constitution, as it creates a separate category of people without any legitimate constitutional purpose. According to him, by giving the status of ‘permanent resident’, the state government is giving such a legal identity, which is not approved by the Constitution.
Shobha Karandlaje also expressed serious concern about national security in the letter. He said that the eligibility criteria for PRC is mainly based on local residence and verification by revenue authorities, but there is no provision for verification by competent agencies of the Central Government to check Indian citizenship.
He expressed apprehension that in such a situation, foreign citizens or infiltrators living in India illegally may obtain permanent residence certificate on the basis of local documents or fake papers. After this they can avail various schemes of the state government, government documents, admission in educational institutions, government jobs and other facilities. This will not only increase the risk of their illegal residence becoming legal, but may also hamper the central government’s efforts to identify illegal immigrants and deport them from the country.
The Union Minister of State also said that subjects like citizenship, foreigners, immigration and internal security fall entirely within the jurisdiction of the Central Government as per the Constitution. In such a situation, if any state government implements a documentary system like permanent residence, it may affect the rights of the Center and the uniform system related to citizenship in the entire country.
Shobha Karandlaje requested Home Minister Amit Shah to get the constitutional validity of Karnataka Permanent Residence Certificate (PRC)-2026 investigated. Also, the Karnataka Government may be directed to stay the implementation of this notification until the investigation is completed.
He also demanded that the state government be asked under what constitutional and legal authority it has issued this notification. Apart from this, it should be ensured that permanent residence certificate is not issued to any person without thorough verification of Indian citizenship.
At the end of the letter, Shobha Karandlaje said that this matter is directly related to the basic spirit of the Constitution, right to equality and national security. Therefore, the Central Government should immediately intervene and take necessary action.
–IANS
VKU/PM
