Explainer: What changes as Parliament passes Registration of Births and Deaths Bill

The
Pa liame t
passed
the
Regist atio
of
Bi ths
a d
Deaths
(Ame dme t)
Bill,
2026.

The
Pa liame t
passed
the
Regist atio
of
Bi ths
a d
Deaths
(Ame dme t)
Bill,
2026,
amid
a
wide
logjam
that
has
epeatedly
dis upted
the
Mo soo
Sessio .
The
Rajya
Sabha
clea ed
the
legislatio
o
Tuesday
by
voice
vote
days
afte
the
Lok
Sabha
passed
it
o
July
31
amid
oppositio
p otests
without
a
debate.Both
Houses
wit essed
epeated
adjou me ts
du i g
the
sessio ,
with
seve al
Bills
bei g
passed
amid
dis uptio s.
The
Mo soo
Sessio
bega
o
July
20
a d
is
scheduled
to
co clude
o
August
13.The
ew
legislatio
focuses
o
a
seemi gly
outi e
but
impo ta t
pa t
of
gove me t
eco ds
like
egiste i g
bi ths
a d
deaths.
A
bi th
ce tificate
eco ds
a
pe so ‘s
e t y
i to
the
official
system,
while
a
death
ce tificate
fo mally
eco ds
thei
depa tu e.Togethe ,
these
docume ts
help
establish
ide tity,
mai tai
public
eco ds
a d
p ovide
p oof
fo
a
a ge
of
legal
a d
admi ist ative
pu poses.
The
ame dme t
seeks
to
tighte
the
p ocess
whe
such
eve ts
a e
epo ted
lo g
afte
they
occu .

What
does
the
Bill
cha ge?

U de
the
existi g
system,
delayed
egist atio
al eady
equi es
additio al
ve ificatio .
If
i fo matio
about
a
bi th
o
death
is
submitted
afte
o e
yea
but
withi
two
yea s,
the
ame ded
law
will
equi e
a
o de
f om
a
dist ict
magist ate,
sub-divisio al
magist ate
o
a
executive
magist ate
autho ised
by
the
dist ict
magist ate.

Fo
cases
epo ted
mo e
tha
two
yea s
afte
the
eve t,
the
th eshold
becomes
highe .
The
egist atio
will
equi e
a
o de
f om
a
judicial
magist ate
of
the
Fi st
Class
havi g
ju isdictio
ove
the
place
whe e
the
bi th
o
death
occu ed.The
magist ate
will
have
to
ve ify
the
co ect ess
of
the
i fo matio
befo e
pe mitti g
egist atio .
A
p esc ibed
fee
will
also
have
to
be
paid,
acco di g
to
a
docume t
eleased
by
the
gove me t.The
ame dme t
also
updates
the
efe e ce
to
a
“Executive
Magist ate”
i
the
1969
law
to
alig
it
with
the
Bha atiya
Naga ik
Su aksha
Sa hita,
2023,
which
eplaced
the
ea lie
Code
of
C imi al
P ocedu e.The
gove me t
says
the
p ima y
objective
is
to
e su e
that
bi ths
a d
deaths
a e
egiste ed
p omptly
a d
that
delayed
egist atio s
a e
subjected
to
st o ge
sc uti y.The
Regist atio
of
Bi ths
a d
Deaths
Act
makes
egist atio
ma dato y.
Acco di g
to
the
gove me t’s
stateme t
of
objects
a d
easo s,
bi th
a d
death
ce tificates
p ovide
legal
ide tity
a d
ca
be
used
as
evide ce
of
a
pe so ‘s
bi th
o
death.The
gove me t
a gues
that
the
i teg ity
of
these
eco ds
is
pa ticula ly
impo ta t
because
bi th
ce tificates
ca
be
used
fo
seve al
official
pu poses,
i cludi g
p ocesses
i volvi g
ide tity
a d
citize ship- elated
docume tatio .Tighte
sc uti y
of
delayed
egist atio s,
it
says,
ca
help
p eve t
f audule t
o
questio able
e t ies
a d
imp ove
the
eliability
of
official
eco ds.BJP
IT
cell
head
Amit
Malviya
said,
“The
objective
is
st aightfo wa d:
e cou age
timely
egist atio ,
p eve t
f audule t
o
dubious
e t ies,
a d
p ese ve
the
c edibility
of
bi th
a d
death
ce tificates,
the
fou datio al
docume ts
that
establish
a
pe so ’s
legal
ide tity.”The
gove me t
has
also
poi ted
to
a
sig ifica t
ise
i
egist atio
ates
ove
the
past
decade.U io
mi iste
of
state
fo
home
Nitya a d
Rai
said
bi th
egist atio
i c eased
f om
86.6%
i
2014
to
99.1%
i
2024,
while
death
egist atio
ose
f om
72.5%
to
99.4%
du i g
the
same
pe iod.
He
also
said
a ou d
3.5
lakh
egist atio
ce t es
have
bee
established
ac oss
the
cou t y.The
gove me t’s
a gume t
is
that
as
egist atio
cove age
app oaches
u ive sal
levels,
the
focus
must
i c easi gly
be
o
e su i g
that
the
emai i g
delayed
o
questio able
cases
a e
p ope ly
ve ified.

What
is
the
sig ifica ce
of
a
bi th
ce tificate?

A
bi th
ce tificate
is
ofte
the
fi st
fo mal
docume t
li ki g
a
i dividual
to
the
state.
It
eco ds
details
such
as
a
pe so ‘s
date
a d
place
of
bi th
a d
ca
be
equi ed
fo
a
a ge
of
official
pu poses,
i cludi g
educatio ,
employme t,
passpo ts
a d
othe
gove me t
docume tatio .The
gove me t
has
also
highlighted
the
ole
of
bi th
eco ds
i
establishi g
ide tity
a d
i
p ocesses
whe e
p oof
of
bi th
o
citize ship- elated
docume tatio
is
equi ed.That
makes
the
accu acy
of
the
egist atio
system
impo ta t
beyo d
populatio
statistics.A
f audule t
bi th
ce tificate,
fo
i sta ce,
could
pote tially
affect
eco ds
ac oss
seve al
gove me t
systems.
Simila ly,
failu e
to
egiste
deaths
ca
leave
outdated
i fo matio
i
official
databases.The
gove me t
has
also
li ked
accu ate
death
egist atio
with
keepi g
eco ds,
i cludi g
electo al
olls,
updated.

What
happe ed
i
the
Pa liame t?

The
Lok
Sabha
passed
the
Bill
o
July
31
by
voice
vote
amid
oppositio
p otests.
Seve al
oppositio
MPs
e te ed
the
Well
of
the
House
dema di g
the
p ese ce
of
U io
home
mi iste

Amit
Shah,
a d
the
legislatio
was
clea ed
without
a
debate.Pa liame ta y
affai s
mi iste

Ki e
Rijiju
c iticised
the
oppositio
fo
ot
pa ticipati g
i
the
p oceedi gs
a d
said
the
gove me t
wa ted
a
discussio
o
the
“impo ta t
Bill”.“It
is
u fo tu ate.
Please
do
ot
epeat
this
i
the
futu e.
People
who
se t
you
to
Pa liame t
will
seek
a swe s
f om
you,”
Rijiju
said,
u gi g
MPs
to
pa ticipate
i
debates
athe
tha
dis upt
p oceedi gs.The
legislatio
was
passed
amid
co ti ued
sloga ee i g,
with
the
oppositio
MPs
dema di g
the
p ese ce
of
U io
home
mi iste
Amit
Shah
a d
his
espo se
o
the
“police
actio ”
agai st
stude t
p oteste s
o
July
20
at
Ja ta
Ma ta .The
Rajya
Sabha
late
took
up
the
Bill
amid
simila
dis uptio s.Movi g
the
Bill
i
the
Rajya
Sabha,
Rai
said
the
gove me t
wa ted
eve y
bi th
a d
death
to
be
p ope ly
eco ded.
He
said,
“The
cou t y
wa ts
that
a yo e
bo
i
the
cou t y,
it
is
impo ta t
that
he
o
she
is
egiste ed.
A yo e
who
has
died,
ca ot
co ti ue
to
emai
i
the
vote
lists
to
be efit
some
pa ties.”Rai
also
li ked
the
legislatio
to
co ce s
ove
people
who
have
died
co ti ui g
to
appea
o
electo al
olls.

He
also
cited
the
ise
i
egist atio
ates
as
evide ce
of
the
gove me t’s
effo ts
to
imp ove
the
system.Some
NDA
membe s
suppo ted
the
legislatio .
YSRCP
membe
M
R
Reddy,
AIADMK’s
M
Thambidu ai
a d
BRS
membe
Ravi
Cha d a
Vaddi aju
backed
the
Bill.
BJP
membe
Biswajit
Si ha,
mea while,
accused
the
Co g ess
of
opposi g
the
legislatio
because
it
did
ot
wa t
p ope
egist atio
of
bi ths
a d
deaths.Si ha
also
efe ed
to
the
Special
I te sive
Revisio
of
electo al
olls
i
West
Be gal,
claimi g
that
people
who
had
died
yea s
ea lie
emai ed
o
vote
lists.He
alleged
that
some
pa ties
we e
helpi g
illegal
Ba gladeshi
a d
Pakista i
i filt ato s
obtai
bi th
egist atio s
a d
vote
ide tities,
a d
said
the
p oposed
cha ges
would
help
p eve t
such
p actices.Leade
of
oppositio

Mallika ju
Kha ge
said,
“The
p ime
mi iste
a d
the
home
mi iste
should
come.
we
wa t
discussio .”Despite
the
p otests,
the
Bill
was
take
up
fo
co side atio
a d
passage.

Why
did
the
oppositio
say

Oppositio
membe s
did
ot
eject
the
eed
fo
accu ate
bi th
a d
death
eco ds
but
questio ed
the
p actical
implicatio s
of
equi i g
a
Judicial
Magist ate
of
the
Fi st
Class
to
app ove
egist atio s
delayed
by
mo e
tha
two
yea s.UPPL
membe
P amod
Bo o
said
the
objective
of
the
Bill
was
impo ta t
but
questio ed
whethe
a
admi ist ative
espo sibility
should
be
shifted
to
the
judicia y.He
wa ed
that
the
p ovisio
could
add
to
the
wo kload
of
cou ts,
i c ease
costs
a d
make
egist atio
mo e
difficult
fo
mig a ts,
homeless
people,
poo
families
a d
those
livi g
i
emote
a eas.BJD
membe
Sa t upt
Mis a
also
questio ed
why
egist atio s
a e
delayed
i
the
fi st
place.
He
suggested
that
the
gove me t
should
ide tify
the
easo s
behi d
late
egist atio
a d
co side
dedicated
egist atio
offices,
pa ticula ly
i
t ibal
a eas,
to
imp ove
access.CPI(M)
membe
V
Sivadasa
suppo ted
the
eed
fo
p ope
egist atio
but
said
the
gove me t
should
also
focus
o
the
ci cumsta ces
su ou di g
deaths,
i cludi g
mal ut itio
a d
stude t
deaths.

The
passage
came
amid
a
wide
logjam
i
the
Mo soo
Sessio ,
with
epeated
adjou me ts
i
both
Houses
a d
seve al
Bills
bei g
clea ed
amid
dis uptio s.With
Pa liame t
havi g
passed
the
Bill,
the
legislatio
will
ow
go
th ough
the
emai i g
co stitutio al
p ocess
befo e
comi g
i to
fo ce.
The
Bill,
the efo e,
seeks
to
st ike
a
bala ce
betwee
two
objectives:
e su i g
that
bi ths
a d
deaths
a e
eco ded
p omptly,
while
subjecti g
u usually
delayed
egist atio s
to
g eate
sc uti y.

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