‘Dead body’ illustration on ITR portal called ‘distasteful’, sparks debate

The official Income Tax Return (ITR) e-filing portal has become the target of social media criticism after users highlighted its inappropriate artwork for the “Session Expired” page.

In the image, a figure lies flat beside a melted candle, which many interpreted as resembling a lifeless body, complete with a garland. The graphic is meant to indicate session timeout due to inactivity, but it sparked outrage. One user commented, “WTF is this art used by Income Tax? Dead body for session expired? This is so distasteful.”

Another user posted a dancing image, with the caption “Ghoomar Ghoomar,” referring to the traditional Rajasthani dance.  "ITR filing portal by Infosys be like: Forget your returns, enjoy our free 'Ghoomar dance' show instead. Every time 'Session Expired' pops up, it feels like I'm filing patience returns, not income tax," the user posted on X.

This is not the first time the portal has drawn criticism. Since its launch, the site has faced technical glitches, login issues, and slow performance, particularly during peak filing seasons. Now, even its interface design has come under fire.