In a significant milestone for the LGBTQ+ community, the Indian Revenue Service (IRS) has, for the first time, officially approved the request of a serving officer to change both their name and gender identity. This landmark decision comes just days after Pride Month, marking a progressive step in Indian bureaucracy.
M. Anusuya, a Hyderabad-based IRS officer currently serving as the Joint Commissioner in the office of the Chief Commissioner at the Customs, Excise, and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal, had sought to change name to M. Anukathir Surya and gender from female to male. The central government has now approved this request.
An official order, signed by the Under Secretary of the Department of Revenue (Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs) in the Ministry of Finance, confirmed that Anusuya's request had been accepted. The order stated that the officer will "be recognized as Mr. M. Anukathir Surya in all official records", according to a report on Indian Express.
In December 2013, Anukathir Surya started his career as an Assistant Commissioner in Chennai and was promoted to Deputy Commissioner in 2018.
Last year, he assumed his current post in Hyderabad. Surya also holds a Bachelor's degree in Electronics and Communication from the Madras Institute of Technology, Chennai, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Cyber Law and Cyber Forensics from the National Law Institute University, Bhopal, completed in 2023, as reported by NDTV.
Meanwhile, this approval sets a notable precedent in the Indian civil services. In 2015, Aishwarya Rutuparna Pradhan, serving in the Odisha Finance Service, made history by legally changing her gender identity to be recognized as a person belonging to the third gender.
The development comes almost a decade after the landmark ruling of Supreme Court in the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) case. The Apex Court recognized the third gender and affirmed that gender identity is a "personal choice."