Centre Introduces Bill to Tighten Rules for Delayed Birth, Death Registration
Proposed law mandates judicial magistrate's approval for registrations reported more than two years after the event.
By : PTI
Update: 2026-07-29 10:15 GMT
The Centre on Wednesday introduced a Bill in the Lok Sabha to tighten regulations for delayed registration of births and deaths, making approval from a judicial magistrate (first class) mandatory for reports made more than two years after the event.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.
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.
Applications seeking registration after one year but within two years of birth or death will still require an order from a DM, SDM or an authorised executive magistrate.
The official must verify the correctness of the event before the registration can proceed upon payment of a prescribed fee, the Bill said.
The Bill introduces a higher level of judicial scrutiny for reports made after two years, mandating an order from a judicial magistrate (first class).
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 law 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.
The government said that these amendments are intended to "encourage timely reporting" of vital events.
According to the Bill's financial memorandum, the implementation of these new rules is not expected to involve any additional expenditure from the Consolidated Fund of India.
The Bill also updates legal definitions, aligning the term "executive magistrate" with the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, replacing previous references to the 1973 Code of Criminal Procedure.