Now Reading: Parliament tightens rules for birth and death registrations filed after two years
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Parliament tightens rules for birth and death registrations filed after two years
Parliament tightens rules for birth and death registrations filed after two years
Parliament passed the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026, changing how delayed registrations are handled under the 1969 law. Registrations filed between one and two years after a birth or…
Parliament passed the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026, changing how delayed registrations are handled under the 1969 law. Registrations filed between one and two years after a birth or death will still need an executive magistrate's approval, but registrations filed more than two years late will now require an order from a judicial magistrate of the first class, moving that verification from the state administration to the court system. Union Home Minister Amit Shah introduced the bill in the Lok Sabha, and it was cleared by the Rajya Sabha.
The Civil Registration System's 2024 report showed India registered 25.47 million births and 8.94 million deaths that year, with about 5.87 million births, across 34 states and union territories, registered more than a year late. The data does not separately identify how many of those were delayed beyond two years, so the amendment's practical scale is not yet clear. The bill's financial memorandum states it will cost the exchequer nothing.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The birth certificate underpins Aadhaar, passports, voter rolls and other identity documents, so routing registrations delayed beyond two years to a judicial magistrate of the first class, a judicial officer under the high court, rather than to an executive magistrate in the state's administrative cadre, moves that verification into the court system. The Statement of Objects and Reasons filed with the bill offers a single justification: to make delayed registration more stringent and to encourage timely reporting. The 2024 data shows about 5.87 million births registered more than a year late, with Bihar alone accounting for 1.65 million, but does not split the over-one-year category, so the new rule's reach cannot yet be measured. The amendment takes effect on a date the central government notifies in the Official Gazette after the President assents.
Source: Hindustan Times
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
