# Dr Muthulakshmi Reddy: first woman legislator, doctor, reformer 2026-08-21T08:23:49+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Dr Muthulakshmi Reddy (1886, 1968) was India's first woman legislator and first woman house surgeon at a government hospital. Born in Pudukkottai, Tamil Nadu, she became the first female student at Maharaja's College, then the first woman admitted to Madras Medical College, graduating with a gold medal in 1907. As the first woman deputy president of the Madras Legislative Council and first woman in the Madras Corporation, she used her authority to win property rights for women, laws against child marriage, and protections for children. She also campaigned against the devadasi system and advocated for women's education, fee exemptions, scholarships, hostels, and better sanitation in poor neighbourhoods. She founded Avvai Home and Orphanage for girls and women, and the Adyar Cancer Institute in Chennai. In 1956 she received the Padma Bhushan. Her legacy continues through the institutions and reforms she established. ## Coverage - thehindu.com Straight biographical narrative, no political slant This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Adyar Cancer Institute, Avvai Home, Madras Medical College, Muthulakshmi Reddy, Padma Bhushan Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/dr-muthulakshmi-reddy-first-woman-legislator-doctor-reformer/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/dr-muthulakshmi-reddy-first-woman-legislator-doctor-reformer/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/