SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has amended the Registration of Births and Deaths Rules, 2022, making it mandatory to obtain an order from a Judicial Magistrate of the First Class for registering births or deaths reported more than two years after their occurrence.
Under the amended rules, cases reported after one year but within two years will require an order from a District Magistrate, Sub-Divisional Magistrate or an Executive Magistrate authorised by the District Magistrate.
The changes have been notified through Government Notification S.O. 286, dated November 5, 2026, issued by the Planning, Development and Monitoring Department under Section 30 of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, with the approval of the Central Government.
The amendment replaces sub-rule (3) of Rule 9 of the Jammu and Kashmir Registration of Births and Deaths Rules, 2022, and introduces a new sub-rule (3A) to prescribe separate procedures for delayed registration beyond one year.
For cases reported after one year but within two years, the concerned District Magistrate, Sub-Divisional Magistrate or authorised Executive Magistrate will issue the order after verifying the correctness of the birth or death and upon payment of the prescribed fee.
For cases reported after two years, the order must be issued by a Judicial Magistrate of the First Class having jurisdiction over the area where the birth or death occurred. The registration will also be subject to verification of the information and payment of the prescribed fee.
The notification further clarifies that an Executive Magistrate, for the purpose of the amended provision, means an Executive Magistrate appointed under Section 14(1) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.
The government has also ordered the substitution of Form No. 2 of the existing rules with a revised form appended to the notification.
The Jammu and Kashmir Registration of Births and Deaths Rules, 2022, were originally notified on October 10, 2022, and amended on February 20, 2025.
