Examine the changes proposed by the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026 and their impact on the ease of accessing civil registration documents for marginalised populations.

The Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969 makes recording of vital events compulsory and underpins access to identity, schooling, welfare and inheritance [2]. The Amendment Bill, 2026, introduced on 29 July and passed by Lok Sabha on 31 July 2026, tightens the route for delayed registration, making procedural rigour and social access compete [1].

Changes proposed

• Tiered approval replaces the earlier single-order route for delays beyond one year: reports of 1–2 years need approval of the District/Sub-Divisional/Executive Magistrate; beyond two years, registration only on the order of a Judicial Magistrate First Class [1].
• Mandatory verification of the authenticity of the reported event before registration, plus a prescribed fee [1].
• Builds on the 2023 Amendment, which digitised registration through the central CRS portal and made the birth certificate a single proof of date of birth [3].
• Piloted by the Ministry of Home Affairs; passed by voice vote without debate amid Opposition protests, limiting legislative scrutiny; now pending in the Rajya Sabha [4][5].

Impact on marginalised populations

• Constraining: judicialisation of a civil-registry function pushes the >2-year applicant into court — travel, lawyer's fees, adjournments — burdening migrants, tribal and homeless households and home births in remote areas [1].
• The fee and documentary-verification burden add cost to those least able to bear it [1].
• Non-registration cascades into exclusion from Aadhaar, admissions, pensions and property claims, since registration coverage remains uneven across States and rural areas [3].
• Enabling: judicial determination is independent and appealable, curbing fraudulent backdated certificates in a now-digitised, interlinked identity system; the 1–2 year band stays administrative, so most delays resolve locally [1][3].

The Bill strengthens the integrity of vital records, but integrity must not price out the very citizens registration exists to protect. Fee waivers for BPL applicants, mobile registration camps, legal aid through district legal services authorities and time-bound magisterial disposal would reconcile both — advancing the goal of legal identity for all.