Lok Sabha passes births and deaths Amendment Bill amid opposition protests
The Lok Sabha on Friday passed the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026, without debate, amid Opposition protests over the police crackdown on students during the July 20 Parliament march.
The bill was taken up for consideration and passage after the House reassembled at noon with BJP MP Dilip Saikia in the Chair.
It was cleared by voice vote amid sloganeering from Opposition members, several of whom entered the Well of the House demanding the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju expressed displeasure over the Opposition's refusal to participate in the debate, saying the government had wanted a discussion on the bill, which he described as important.
"It is unfortunate. Please do not repeat this in the future. People who sent you to Parliament will seek answers from you," Rijiju said, urging Opposition members to take part in debates on future legislation rather than disrupt proceedings.
Saikia also called it "unfortunate" that the bill had to be passed without the Opposition's cooperation. The House was adjourned for the day soon after the bill's passage.
The legislation seeks to amend the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, to encourage timely reporting of vital events. It proposes making 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 existing law, registrations delayed by more than one year require an order from a district magistrate, sub-divisional magistrate, or an authorised executive magistrate. That provision will continue to apply for delays of up to two years under the amended law.
The bill was cleared for introduction by the Union Cabinet on July 20 and proposes further changes to the delayed registration process, building on amendments made to the parent Act in 2023. It also updates legal definitions, aligning the term "executive magistrate" with the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, replacing earlier references to the 1973 Code of Criminal Procedure.
With the bill's passage, the government has pushed through another piece of legislation amid continued disruptions in Parliament during the Monsoon Session. Two other bills — the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, and the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026 — have already cleared both Houses of Parliament during the current session.
The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026, now awaits approval in the Rajya Sabha.
During Friday's proceedings, BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi, who chairs the Joint Parliamentary Committee examining the Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, 2025, was granted an extension for the panel to submit its report by the first day of the last week of the Winter Session.
(With inputs to PTI)
