Lok Sabha Passes Births And Deaths Bill Amid Protests Over Police Crackdown, Pg1

Key Highlights:

• The Lok Sabha passed the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026, on Friday, July 31, 2026.
• The bill was approved without debate amidst protests by the Opposition regarding a police crackdown on student protesters at Jantar Mantar on July 20, 2026.
• The amendment makes delayed registration of births and deaths more stringent, requiring an order from a Judicial Magistrate (First Class) for registrations made more than two years after the event.
• A Joint Parliamentary Committee examining the Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, 2025, received an extension for submitting its report.

Detailed Insights:

• The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026, seeks to modify the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, which mandates the compulsory registration of births and deaths within 21 days.
• Previously, delays exceeding one year required an order from an executive magistrate, such as a District Magistrate or Sub-Divisional Magistrate.
• The new amendment introduces a two-tiered system: delays between one and two years continue to require executive magistrate approval, while delays beyond two years necessitate an order from a Judicial Magistrate (First Class).
• The Opposition's protests were triggered by a police crackdown on student activists, primarily from the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), who were demonstrating at Jantar Mantar over alleged examination paper leaks and demanding the Union Education Minister's resignation.
• The Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, 2025, aims to address the criminalization of politics by proposing the automatic removal of the Prime Minister, Chief Minister, or any Minister if detained for 30 consecutive days on serious criminal charges.
• The bill was passed by a voice vote, a parliamentary procedure where the Speaker determines the majority based on vocal responses without recording individual votes.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Lok Sabha: The lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, composed of representatives directly elected by the people.
• Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969: A central legislation that made the registration of every birth and death in India compulsory to ensure uniformity and compilation of vital statistics.
• Judicial Magistrate (First Class): A judicial officer in India's criminal court system, empowered to try criminal cases and impose sentences up to three years imprisonment and fines.
• Voice Vote: A method of voting in legislative bodies where the presiding officer determines the outcome by judging the loudness of "Ayes" and "Noes" without recording individual votes.
• Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC): An ad-hoc committee formed by a resolution passed in both houses of Parliament to investigate a particular matter or examine a bill.