VIJAYAWADA: The Health Department has issued fresh directives mandating that all deaths resulting from road accidents and other medico-legal cases must be formally reported and registered within 21 days.
The decision aims to address long-standing delays in issuing death certificates to victims’ families caused by procedural lapses between law enforcement and civil registration authorities.
Following a formal letter sent by the Health Secretary to the Director General of Police (DGP) on August 21, 2026, the DGP’s office issued an official circular on August 25, 2026, directing all Police Commissioners, Superintendents of Police (SPs), and Station House Officers (SHOs) across the state to strictly comply with the reporting norms.
Under this revised operational protocol, police officers are required to submit complete death details in the prescribed Form-II to the jurisdictional Registrar of Births and Deaths, as mandated under Section 8 of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Act, 2023, and the AP Registration of Births and Deaths Rules, 2025.
The guidelines establish clear procedures depending on where the fatality occurs. If a person dies at the spot of an accident, the concerned Station House Officer or Sub-Inspector of Police must submit Form-II to the local Registrar having jurisdiction over the accident site within 21 days of the incident.
In instances where a victim dies during transit to a medical facility and is declared “brought dead” by hospital doctors, the same rule will apply.