Late birth and death registration to require judicial orders: New Bill proposes two-tier system
A Bill to amend the rules for registration of births and deaths was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. The Bill was introduced amid
A Bill to amend the rules for registration of births and deaths was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. The Bill was introduced amid protests by the Opposition, demanding Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah's presence in the chamber during the debate on the anti-paper leak Bill, as reported by The Hindu. Speaker Om Birla called on some opposition members to oppose the introduction of the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026, according to procedure.
However, no member spoke against it, and Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai introduced the Bill. Two-tier approval system proposed The Bill was previously cleared for introduction by the Union Cabinet on 20 July. It seeks to further amend the previously amended Section 13(3) of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969 (as amended in 2023). The aim is to “make provisions of delayed registrations more stringent.” Under current provisions, registrations delayed by more than a year require an order from the District Magistrate (DM), Sub-divisional Magistrate (SDM), or an Executive Magistrate before they can be recoded.
The proposed alteration introduces a two-tier approval system based on the duration of the delay. According to the Bill, the system will remain unchanged for births and deaths unreported for 1-2 years after the event, and applicants will continue to require approval from the DM, SDM, or the executive magistrate with jurisdiction over the place where the event occurred. Registrations beyond 2 years, however, will face much stricter scrutiny, with approval granted only on the orders of a first-class judicial magistrate, shifting authority from the executive to the judiciary.
Timely reporting mandatory As reported by the Deccan Herald, the Bill's goal is to reportedly “encourage timely reporting of event of birth and death.”
The BriefWire