Bill to make delayed registration of births and deaths more stringent introduced in Lok Sabha

NEW DELHI — 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".

"This will encourage timely reporting of event of birth and death," the Bill said.

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Under the current provisions of the Act, registrations delayed by more than one year require an order from the district magistrate (DM), sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), or an executive magistrate before they can be recorded.

The proposed legislation introduces a two-tier approval mechanism based on the duration of the delay.

According to the Bill, the system will largely remain unchanged for births or deaths reported between one and two years after the event. Applicants will continue to require approval from the DM, SDM or an executive magistrate having jurisdiction over the place where the birth or death occurred.

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.