Birth certificates declare most people alive, with this status remaining until a death certificate revokes it. But is it possible to cancel a death certificate?
Indian-born Lal Bihari Mritak, at 20 years old in 1975, found out he had been mistakenly labeled as dead. This was no administrative mistake but a result of his uncle bribing officials to inherit a farm. It took 19 years for Mr. Bihari to reclaim his existence through a lengthy campaign.
Thankfully, the process is quicker in the UK. Ann Smith, 65, from Liverpool, was mistakenly reported dead by the Department for Work and Pensions in 2022, but the error was rectified within a week.
This article addresses the query posed by Sam Ferrell via email: “You can be declared dead, but can you be declared alive?”
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Source: www.sciencefocus.com
