Parliament on Tuesday passed a Bill that strengthens the legal framework governing delayed registration of births and deaths by making judicial approval mandatory for registrations sought more than two years after the event. The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026 was passed by the Rajya Sabha through a voice vote amid persistent sloganeering by Opposition members, who demanded the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and raised allegations relating to the Ram Temple donation issue.
The Lok Sabha had cleared the legislation on Friday.
Judicial approval for delayed registrations
The Bill amends the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, introducing stricter norms for delayed registrations. Under the amended law, births or deaths reported more than two years after the event will require an order from a Judicial Magistrate First Class. For registrations delayed beyond one year but within two years, the existing provision will continue, requiring approval from a District Magistrate, Sub-Divisional Magistrate or another authorised Executive Magistrate.
Government defends the move
Replying to the debate amid continuous protests by Opposition members, Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said the government was committed to ensuring universal registration of births and deaths. He said complete registration would ensure that deceased persons do not continue to remain on electoral rolls as "ghost voters". "The government wants that every child born in the country should be registered and every death should also be registered," Rai said.
He urged Opposition members to understand the objectives of the legislation, adding that every birth and death must be officially recorded. "Anyone who has died cannot continue to remain in the voter lists to benefit some parties," he said. Taking a swipe at the Congress, Rai alleged that governments in some states had allowed such irregularities to continue. "This will not happen any more," he asserted.
Registration levels improve
Highlighting improvements in civil registration, Rai said the government had established around 3.5 lakh registration centres across the country. He said birth registration increased from 86.6 per cent in 2014 to 99.1 per cent in 2024, while death registration rose from 72.5 per cent to 99.4 per cent during the same period. Accusing the Congress of neglecting the registration system in the past, Rai said India was steadily moving towards universal registration of births and deaths.
Opposition protests continue
The Bill was taken up after the House reassembled following two adjournments. Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge said Parliament could not function properly in the absence of the Prime Minister and the Home Minister. "The Prime Minister and the Home Minister should come. We want discussion," he said. Even as Rai replied to the debate, Opposition members continued raising slogans demanding Amit Shah's presence in the House.
Members raise concerns
While several NDA members supported the Bill, some Opposition members questioned aspects of the proposed changes. CPI(M) member A A Rahim referred to the deaths of students linked to the NEET paper leak while pressing for the Home Minister's presence. Congress MP Phulo Devi Netam questioned why the Home Minister was absent despite the Bill being introduced by his ministry, prompting Deputy Chairman Harivansh to ask her to restrict her remarks to the legislation. CPI(M) member V Sivadasan supported proper registration of births and deaths but said the government should also address child deaths caused by malnutrition and student suicides linked to examinations.
Concerns over judicial burden
UPPL member Pramod Boro supported the objective of the legislation but questioned the provision requiring Judicial Magistrate approval for registrations delayed beyond two years. He argued that the proposal shifted an administrative responsibility to the judiciary, which was already burdened with pending criminal and civil cases. He also warned that the requirement could increase litigation costs and create difficulties for migrants, homeless people, economically weaker sections and residents of remote areas. BJD member Santrupt Misra said the government should first identify the reasons behind delayed registrations. He suggested creating dedicated registration offices, particularly in tribal regions, instead of routing such cases through courts.
Support and political sparring
YSRCP member M R Reddy, AIADMK's M Thambidurai and BRS member Ravi Chandra Vaddiraju backed the Bill. Amid the noisy proceedings, BJP MP Biswajit Sinha accused the Congress of opposing the legislation because it did not favour complete registration of births and deaths. Referring to the recent Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in West Bengal, Sinha alleged that names of people who had died years ago continued to remain on voter lists. He also claimed that illegal Bangladeshi and Pakistani infiltrators were being helped to obtain birth certificates and voter identity cards, adding that the new law would help prevent such practices.