(1) It shall be the duty of the persons specified below to give or cause to be given, either 1[orally or in writing with signature], according to the best of their knowledge and belief, within such time as may be prescribed, information to the Registrar of the several particulars 2[including the Aadhaar number of parents and the informant, if available, in case of birth,] required to be entered in the forms prescribed by the State Government under sub-section (1) of section 16,--
- (a) in respect of births and deaths in a house, whether residential or non-residential, not being any place referred to in clauses (b) to (e) the head of the house or, in case more than one household live in the house, the head of the household, the head being the person, who is so recognised by the house or the household, and if he is not present in the house at any time during the period within which the birth or death has to be reported, the nearest relative of the head present in the house, and in the absence of any such person, the oldest adult 3*** person present therein during the said period;
- 2[i(aa) in respect of non-institutional adoption, the adoptive parents; (ab) in respect of birth of a child to a single parent or unwed mother from her womb, the parent;
- (ac) in respect of birth of a child through surrogacy, the biological parent;]
- (b) in respect of births and deaths in a hospital, health centre, maternity or nursing home or other like institution, the medical officer in charge or any person authorised by him in this behalf;
- (c) in respect of births and deaths in a jail, the jailor in charge;
- (d) in respect of births and deaths in a choultry, chattram, hostel, dharmasala, boarding-house, lodging-house, tavern, barrack, toddy shop or place of public resort, the person in charge thereof;
- 4[i(da) in respect of a child who is taken on adoption from the Specialised Adoption Agency, the person in-charge of the Specialised Adoption Agency.
Explanation.--For the purposes of this clause, the expression "Specialised Adoption Agency" shall have the same meaning as assigned to it in clause (57) of section 2 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 (2 of 2016);
- (db) in respect of an orphan or abandoned child or surrendered child in any child care institution, the person in-charge or caretaker of the child care institution.
Explanation-For the purposes of this clause, the expressions "abandoned child" or "child care institution" or "orphan" or "surrendered child" shall have the same meanings as respectively assigned to them in clauses (1), (21), (42) and (60) of section 2 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 (2 of 2016);
- (dc) in respect of birth of a child through surrogacy in a surrogacy clinic, the person in-charge of the surrogacy clinic.
Explanation.--For the purposes of this clause, the expressions "surrogacy" and "surrogacy clinic" shall have the same meanings as respectively assigned to them in clauses (zd) and (ze) of sub-section (1) of section 2 of the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021 (47 of 2021);]
- (e) in respect of any new-born child or dead body found deserted in a public place, the headman or other corresponding officer of the village in the case of a village and the officer in charge of the local police station elsewhere:
Provided that any person who finds such child or dead body, or in whose charge such child or dead body may be placed, shall notify such fact to the headman or officer aforesaid;
- (f) in any other place, such person as may be prescribed.
(2) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1), the State Government, having regard to the conditions obtaining in a registration division, may by order require that for such period as may be specified in the order, any person specified by the State Government by designation in this behalf, shall give or cause to be given information regarding births and deaths in a house referred to in clause (a) of sub-section (1) instead of the persons specified in that clause.
