Twist Over FRC Ahead of Elections.. EC Issues Key Statement!

The Election Commission of India has clarified that the Family Register Certificate (FRC) currently being issued by the Telangana government cannot be accepted as a valid verification document under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. Since the certificate is being issued based on information contained in ration cards, the EC said it is effectively equivalent to a ration card. As a ration card is not among the 12 documents approved by the Supreme Court for SIR verification, an FRC issued solely on that basis cannot be accepted. However, the EC clarified that Family Registration Certificates issued under the July 25, 2013 memorandum of the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh government can be considered, provided they were issued after proper field-level verification and examination of relevant documents.

The Telangana Chief Electoral Officer’s office had sought clarification from the EC over the FRCs being issued by the state government during the SIR exercise. The issue has also reached the court and triggered considerable political debate. Voters who receive notices under SIR will have to produce one of the 12 documents specified by the EC. With the draft electoral roll scheduled to be published on August 17, voters who remain unmapped with SIR-2002 or whose details raise doubts may receive notices. Such voters will have to appear before the Electoral Registration Officer and submit an accepted document. The Telangana government had issued GO No. 172 on July 25, directing tahsildars to issue FRCs based on ration-card information. The EC, however, said certificates issued without field-level verification cannot be treated as valid proof, while older FRCs issued under the previous procedure before July 25 would be considered.