New Delhi: Parliament Tuesday passed a bill that seeks to tighten regulations for delayed registration of births and deaths and makes it mandatory to get approval from a judicial magistrate (first class) for cases reported more than two years after the event.
‘The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026’ was approved by the Rajya Sabha by a voice vote amid continuous sloganeering by Opposition members, who repeatedly demanded the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the House. The opposition members also raised slogans on the alleged theft of donations at Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
The Lok Sabha has already passed the bill Friday amid din.
The bill seeks to amend provisions of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969 to tighten the existing norms, mandating an order from a judicial magistrate (first class) for birth and death registrations made more than two years after the event.
Under the existing law, registrations delayed by more than one year require an order from a district magistrate, sub-divisional magistrate, or an authorised executive magistrate, and the provision will continue to apply for delays of up to two years under the amended law.
Replying to the debate amid continued slogan-shouting by Opposition members, Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said the Modi government was committed to ensuring that every child born in the country was registered and that every death was recorded so that deceased persons did not continue as “ghost voters” benefiting parties pursuing “appeasement politics”.
“The government wants that every child born in the country should be registered and every death should also be registered.
Rai said the opposition members need to understand the provisions of the bill.
“The country wants that anyone born in the country, it is important that he or she is registered. Anyone who has died cannot continue to remain in the voter lists to benefit some parties,” he said.
Taking a swipe at the Congress, he said, in some states, there are governments who welcome such people to remain in voter lists.
“This will not happen any more,” he asserted.
He said 3.5 lakh registration centres have been set up across the country for registration of births and deaths.
“In 2014, the total number of births registered in the country was 86.6 per cent. In 2024, it rose to 99.1 per cent. For deaths, in 2014, 72.5 per cent deaths were registered, while now it is 99.4 per cent.
“The Congress cheated this country through birth and death registration,” he alleged, adding that India is moving fast towards complete registration of births and deaths.
When the House met for the post-lunch sitting at 2 pm after two adjournments, Rai moved the bill for consideration and passage.
The bill was discussed amid din, and the minister later replied to the debate even as Opposition members raised slogans seeking the presence of Shah in the House.
Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge said the House was not functioning properly and that there was only one way to run Parliament.
“The Prime Minister and the Home Minister should come. We want discussion,” he said.
Several NDA members favoured the bill saying it was necessary, while Opposition members sought Home Minister’s presence in the House.
As several Opposition MPs surrounded the Chair during the proceedings, CPI(M) member A A Rahim, who was among those raising the demand for Shah’s presence, referred to the deaths of more than 20 students due to NEET paper leak.
Congress member Phulo Devi Netam questioned why the home minister was absent despite the bill belonging to his ministry. Deputy Chairman Harivansh repeatedly asked her to confine her remarks on the bill.
CPI(M) member V Sivadasan said proper registration of births and deaths was important, but added that India continued to witness a large number of child deaths due to malnutrition and student deaths because of examinations, saying such deaths also required attention.
UPPL member Pramod Boro supported the objective of the bill but questioned the proposal requiring an order from a judicial magistrate (first class) for registration of births and deaths delayed by more than two years.
He said the provision shifted an administrative responsibility to the judiciary, which was already burdened with criminal and civil cases, and warned that it could increase litigation costs and make registration more difficult for migrants, homeless persons, the poor and those living in remote areas.
BJD member Santrupt Misra said the government should first examine why births and deaths are registered late. He said routing such cases through judicial magistrates could further burden courts and suggested dedicated registration offices, particularly in tribal areas, to improve access.
YSRCP member M R Reddy, AIADMK’s M Thambidurai and BRS member Ravi Chandra Vaddiraju supported the legislation.
Amid loud sloganeering, BJP member Biswajit Sinha accused the Congress of opposing the bill because it did not want proper registration of births and deaths.
Claiming that the recent Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in West Bengal revealed persons who died years ago remained in voter lists, Sinha alleged that some parties were helping illegal Bangladeshi and Pakistani infiltrators obtain birth registration and voter identity. He said the bill would prevent such practices.
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