India’s legal system has come up with its own version of Schrödinger’s cat. You can be both dead and alive, and it even comes with tax benefits!
How is this possible?
By adopting the life of a Sanyasi – one who has renounced all material goods and values – you will have had a ‘civil death,’ recognised by the courts. For Hindus, Jains and Buddhists alike, the ascetic’s path is key to the attaining of Nirvana. But for those who want to dodge taxes, this could be a way to attain nirvana from tax officials.
You won’t be the first to have had that idea. A quick browse through the court cases on the matter shows that while many have tried to renounce their earthly possessions, the question of tax and inheritance can follow you from one life to the next.
It’s common to find cases of friends, family and spiritual leaders tussling over possessions and property – after all, the sanyasi did renounce them. But ‘dying’ does not necessarily relinquish you of your spiritual or familial duties.
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