India Parliament passes Births and Deaths Amendment Bill
The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026 was approved by the Rajya Sabha on 4 August 2026 by voice vote, after having been passed by the Lok Sabha on 31 July 2026. The amendment tightens rules for delayed registration of births and deaths. Registrations reported more than two years after the event now require the order of a First‑Class Judicial Magistrate, while those delayed between one and two years need approval from a District or Sub‑Divisional Magistrate. The government says the changes will curb fraudulent certificates, prevent “ghost voters” and improve the reliability of civil records.
Opposition members repeatedly disrupted the proceedings, demanding the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah and raising slogans about alleged theft of donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Despite the protests, the bill was passed and will be sent to President Droupadi Murmu for assent. The ministry highlighted that registration coverage has risen to about 99 % for births and 99.4 % for deaths, reflecting the aim of universal civil registration.
Entities: Amit Shah · Arjun Ram Meghwal · Chief Justice of India · Droupadi Murmu · Lok Sabha · Lok Sabha · Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Amendment) Bill, 2026 · Nityanand Rai · Rajya Sabha · Ram Temple (Ayodhya) · Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026 · Supreme Court of India
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 8 SOURCES] The Bill had previously been passed by the Lok Sabha on 31 July 2026. (Lok Sabha passage)
- [● 8 SOURCES] Registrations delayed between one and two years require an order from a District Magistrate, Sub‑Divisional Magistrate or an authorised executive magistrate. (new requirement for 1‑2‑year delays)
- [● 8 SOURCES] The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026 was passed by the Rajya Sabha by voice vote. (voice vote passage in Rajya Sabha)
- [● 8 SOURCES] Registrations of births or deaths delayed more than two years now require approval from a First‑Class Judicial Magistrate. (new requirement for >2‑year delays)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The Bill will be sent to President Droupadi Murmu for assent. (presidential assent pending)
- [● 2 SOURCES] The government reports that 99.1 % of births and 99.4 % of deaths are now registered in India. (registration coverage statistics)
- [● 8 SOURCES] The amendment aims to prevent fraudulent birth or death certificates and stop “ghost voters” from remaining on electoral rolls. (government objective)
- [● 8 SOURCES] Opposition members protested, demanding Home Minister Amit Shah’s presence and raising slogans about alleged theft of donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. (opposition protest)