NEW DELHI: Both the Houses of Parliament were adjourned for the day on Tuesday to reconvene on Wednesday after the Lok Sabha passed Appropriation Bill, 2026 amid Opposition protest, and the Rajya Sabha Births and Deaths Registration Bill that was cleared by the Lok Sabha last week.
Tuesday saw multiple adjournments in both the Houses over various issues.
Opposition MPs on Tuesday staged protests at the Parliament premises over multiple issues, including the embezzlement of Ram Mandir donations, the police action on protesters during the Parliament March on July 20 in the national capital, and the Cauvery water dispute.
MoS for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai speaks on the Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
Mr. Rai explains the Bill.
The proposed legislation seeks to make delayed registration of births and deaths more stringent by requiring an order from a judicial magistrate (first class) for registrations done after two years.
The Bill, which was cleared for introduction by the Union Cabinet on July 20, seeks to further amend Section 13(3) of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969 (as amended in 2023), “in order to make provisions of delayed registration more stringent”.
Under the current provisions of the Act, registrations delayed by more than one year require an order from the District Magistrate (DM), Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), or an Executive magistrate before they can be recorded.
According to the Bill, the system will largely remain unchanged for births or deaths reported between one and two years after the event. Applicants will continue to require approval from the DM, SDM or an executive magistrate having jurisdiction over the place where the birth or death occurred.
However, registrations delayed beyond two years will face significantly stricter scrutiny. In such cases, approval will be granted only on the orders of a first-class judicial magistrate, shifting the authority for very late registrations from the executive to the judiciary.
Umakant Lakhera is a Senior Journalist and Political Commentator
