The Union Finance Ministry has approved a Hyderabad-based IRS officer's request to change their name and gender, marking a first in Indian civil service history.
In a historic move, the Union Finance Ministry has approved a Hyderabad-based Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer's request to change their name and gender. This marks the first instance of such a change within the Indian civil service.
M Anusuya, who serves as Joint Commissioner in the office of the Chief Commissioner at the Customs Excise and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal in Hyderabad, will now be known as M Anukathir Surya. The officer’s gender has also been officially changed from female to male.
In its order, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, Department of Revenue, stated, "The request of M Anusuya has been considered. Henceforth, the officer will be recognised as 'Mr. M Anukathir Surya' in all official records."
Mr. Surya began his career as an assistant commissioner in Chennai in 2013 and was promoted to Deputy Commissioner in 2018, according to his LinkedIn profile. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Electronics and Communication from the Madras Institute of Technology in Chennai and a PG Diploma in Cyber Law and Cyber Forensics from the National Law Institute University.
This development comes nearly a decade after the Supreme Court's landmark ruling in the NALSA case, which recognized the third gender and affirmed that gender identity is a personal choice. The court emphasized that transgender individuals must not be denied basic human rights and called for a dignified life for transgender people.
In its judgment, the court stated, "There seems to be no reason why a transgender must be denied basic human rights... The Constitution has fulfilled its duty of providing rights to transgenders. Now it's time for us to recognize this and to extend and interpret the Constitution in such a manner as to ensure a dignified life for transgender people. All this can be achieved if the beginning is made with the recognition of a transgender as a third gender."
The judgment further noted, "If a person has changed his/her sex in tune with his/her gender characteristics and perception, which has become possible because of the advancement in medical science, and when that is permitted in medical ethics with no legal embargo, we do not find any impediment, legal or otherwise, in giving due recognition to the gender identity based on the reassign sex after undergoing surgery."
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 "Meet IRS officer Anusuya who took permission from Centre to change gender, name, its now...")
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