A Bill to make provisions for delayed registration of births and deaths more stringent to "encourage timely reporting by citizens" was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai introduced the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026, amid protests by the opposition, which sought the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah in the House during the ongoing debate on the anti-paper leak Bill.
According to procedure, Speaker Om Birla called some opposition members to oppose the introduction of the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026. After none spoke, MoS Rai introduced the proposed legislation.
The Bill, which was cleared for introduction by the Union Cabinet on July 20, seeks to further amend Section 13(3) of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969 (as amended in 2023), "in order to make provisions of delayed registration more stringent".
However, registrations delayed beyond two years will face significantly stricter scrutiny. In such cases, approval will be granted only on the orders of a first-class judicial magistrate, shifting the authority from the executive to the judiciary.
The Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, was enacted to provide for the regulation of registration of births and deaths and for matters connected therewith.
The registration of births and deaths is mandatory under the Act and the certificate issued under the Act provides legal identity to an individual. A certificate of birth or death is admissible in evidence for the purpose of proving the birth or death of a person.
The Act was amended in 2023 and the provisions of the amended law came into force from October 1 that year.
