Delayed birth, death registrations to face stricter scrutiny as new law takes effect from October 1

NEW DELHI: The provisions of a newly enacted law that tightens regulations for delayed registration of births and deaths will come into force on October 1, Registrar General of India Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan said on Wednesday.

The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026, passed by both Houses of Parliament, became the law after the President’s assent last month.

In a gazette notification, Narayan said, "In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (2) of section 1 of the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Act, 2026 (12 of 2026), the Central Government hereby appoints the 1st day of October, 2026, as the date on which the provisions of the said Act shall come into force."

The law tightens regulations for delayed registration of births and deaths and requires judicial intervention for applications filed more than two years after the event.

The new law amended 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".

"This will encourage timely reporting of event of birth and death," the Bill had said.

Applications seeking registration after one year but within two years of birth or death will still require an order from a DM, SDM or an authorised executive magistrate, according to the new law.

The official must verify the correctness of the event before the registration can proceed upon payment of a prescribed fee, it says.

The law introduces a higher level of judicial scrutiny for reports made after two years, mandating an order from a judicial magistrate (first class).

The Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, was enacted to provide for the regulation of registration of births and deaths and for matters connected therewith.

The registration of births and deaths is mandatory under the Act, and the certificate issued under the law provides legal identity.

A certificate of birth or death is admissible in evidence for proving the birth or death of a person.

The Act was amended in 2023, and the provisions of the amended law came into force from October 1 that year.

The government said that these amendments are intended to "encourage timely reporting" of vital events.