3 min readJaipur, New DelhiMar 7, 2026 04:44 AM IST
Anuj Agnihotri, a 26-year-old from Rawatbhata in Rajasthan’s Chittorgarh district, has topped the Civil Services Examination 2025, the result of which was declared by the Union Public Service Commission on Friday, listing 958 candidates (659 men and 299 women) as qualified for appointment to different central civil services.
An alumnus of AIIMS Jodhpur, this was Anuj’s third attempt. In 2023, he was selected for DANICS, the civil services for Union Territories. In second place was Rajeshwari Suve M, an engineering graduate from Anna University, Chennai. Akansh Dhull, who is B Com graduate from Delhi University, Raghav Jhunjhunwala, who has a BA (Hons) Economics degree from Delhi University, and Ishan Bhatnagar, a law graduate from Law University, Delhi, secured the third, fourth and fifth ranks, respectively.
Talking to The Indian Express, Anuj said: “Although there were distractions, I was still able to put in 8-10 hours daily for preparation. At home, my parents gave me a good environment to study, but the discipline with which I studied during my first attempt in 2023 helped me later on. I couldn’t make it in my second attempt.”
Of the 958 candidates who qualified, 317 candidates were from the general category, 306 from Other Backward Classes, 158 from Scheduled Castes, 104 from Economically Weaker Section and 73 from Scheduled Tribes. Among the recommended candidates are 42 Persons with Benchmark Disability.
A total of 180 candidates were recommended to the IAS, 55 to the IFS, 150 to the IPS, 507 to the Central Services Group A and 195 Group B.
The preliminary examination was held in May 2025, in which 5.76 lakh candidates appeared. After that, 14,161 candidates qualified for the main examination held in August last. A total of 2,736 candidates then appeared for the interviews from December to February, the UPSC said.
Announcing the results, UPSC Chairman Ajay Kumar said in a post on X: “The UPSC has declared the final results of the CSE 2025 today. Congrats to all successful candidates as you begin a career of service to the nation. For those who did not make it-the learning from this journey will guide you in the paths ahead.”
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Anuj’s father Krishna Bihari Agnihotri is a technician at the Atomic Power Station in Rawatbhata. Originally from Uttar Pradesh, the family settled in Rajasthan in 1964. “We have been focused on the academic journey of our children since childhood. After MBBS, he told us he wanted to prepare further, so we supported him. I have an elder son who pursued an MBA and settled in Hyderabad. We just want our children to succeed and have a good life ahead,” Krishna said.
He said the credit for their success should go to Anuj’s mother, Manju Agnihotri, who made several sacrifices for their future. “We would never attend family gatherings to avoid any disturbance to our children’s lives. We set a timetable for their breakfast, lunch and sleep. We did everything, and now, with God’s grace, my son has achieved this success,” she said.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
