The Lok Sabha on Friday passed the “Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026,” despite the opposition’s continued disruptions over the police crackdown on Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protesters during their ‘Chalo Sansad’ march on July 20 in New Delhi.
The BJP member Dilip Saikia was in the chair when the bill was taken up for discussion in the Lower House. The bill was passed by the House by a voice vote, with Saikia expressing his displeasure and saying the legislation cleared the Lok Sabha without opposition’s cooperation.
“The Parliamentary Affairs minister has urged you all to cooperate. An important bill has been passed, but you are not cooperating. The bill was passed without opposition’s cooperation, which is not good. I urge you all to sit on their respective seats, so that we can continue the discussion,” Saikia said in the House.
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju also criticised the opposition over the continued disruptions in the House, while stressing the government wanted a discussion over the crucial bill. “It is unfortunate. Please do not repeat this in the future. People who sent you to Parliament will seek answers from you,” he said.
The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026, amend provisions of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, aiming to encourage the timely reporting of such incidents. It will make delayed registration of births and deaths more stringent by requiring an order from a judicial magistrate (first class) for registrations made more than two years after the event.
Under the current law, such registrations that have been delayed by over one year need an order from a district magistrate, sub-divisional magistrate, or an authorised executive magistrate. This provision, though, will continue to apply for delays of up to two years under the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
The bill, which was cleared by the Union Cabinet on July 20, will also update legal definitions and align the term “executive magistrate” with the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023. It also proposes further changes to the delayed registration process following amendments made to the parent Act in 2023. The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026, will now be tabled in the Rajya Sabha.