law: Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969
  8.
  
  Persons required to register births and deaths.-
  (1)
  
  It shall be the duty of the persons specified below to give or cause to be
  
  given, either orally or in writing, according to the best of their knowledge
  
  and belief, within such time as may be prescribed, information to the Registrar
  
  of the several particulars 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 clause (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 recognized 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 male person present therein during the said
  
  period;
  (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 jailer 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 ;
  (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.