Anusuya to Anukathir – in a first, IRS officer allowed to change name, gender

For the first time in the civil service, the Centre has allowed an woman Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer in Hyderabad to change her name and gender in all official records.

An official announcement says that M Anusuya will henceforth be known as M Anukathir Surya. .

Government approval

The 35-year-old officer, who hails from Tamil Nadu, is a joint commissioner in the office of the Chief Commissioner, Customs Excise and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal at Hyderabad.

The finance ministry said the officer’s request has been considered and approved.

“The request of M Anusuya has been considered. Henceforth, the officer will be recognised as ‘Mr M Anukathir Surya’ in all official records,” the GoI’s office order dated July 9, 2014 said.

First in civil service

A 2013 batch Customs and Indirect Taxes officer, Anukathir had completed his engineering degree at the Madras Institute of Technology in Chennai.

He also has a PG diploma in Cyber Law and Cyber Forensics from National Law Institute University, Bhopal.

The officer started his career as an assistant commissioner in Chennai in 2013 and was promoted as deputy commissioner in 2018. From January 2023, he has served as a joint commissioner in Hyderabad.

This is the first time a name change has been allowed in the Indian civil service.

Supreme Court ruling

The development comes almost 10 years after the Supreme Court ruled that gender identity was a personal choice.

In 2015, the Odisha government had allowed an employee to change her gender to the third gender.