‘Will explore legal options on family certificate’ - The HinduPublished - August 12, 2026 07:32 pm IST - HYDERABADWith the Election Commission of India (ECI) clarifying their stand of not accepting the recently introduced Telangana Family Register Certificate as a document for the ongoing Special Intensive Revision exercise, Advisor to the Telangana government said that he would seek a legal opinion on the subject.In a statement issued to the media, Advisor to the Telangana Government for Minorities Welfare Mohammad Ali Shabbir reacted to the ECI’s clarification on the issue. He stated that this required ‘careful legal examination’. All legally permissible options would be explored. This was to ensure the inclusion of genuine voters, especially those who are poor and belong to weaker sections of society, and also to ensure they do not endure problems.The Family Certificate was based on information taken from Food Security Card and Ration Card database.“Nobody is suggesting that a ration card by itself should conclusively establish citizenship. The issue is whether authentic government records relating to a person’s family, identity and residence can be given appropriate evidentiary value along with other material available to the electoral authorities,” Mr. Ali was quoted as saying.After continued representations, including by Hyderabad parliamentarian Asaduddin Owaisi and Telangana Minorities Residential Educational Institutions Society president Faheem Qureshi, and in light of other representations, the Telangana government had taken a decision to introduce the Family Certificate. A decision to this effect came on July 25 this year when the government issued GO Ms No 172.Published - August 12, 2026 07:32 pm ISTSign in to unlock member-only benefits!Access 10 free stories every monthSave stories to read laterAccess to comment on every storySign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single clickGet notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products${ ind + 1 } ${ device }Last active - ${ la }