On March 6, 2026, the Union Public Service Commission declared the final results of the Civil Services Examination 2025. Among the 958 candidates recommended for appointment, one name stood at the very top: Anuj Agnihotri, Roll No. 1131589, securing All India Rank 1.
His story is not one of overnight success. It is one of a doctor from a small nuclear town in Rajasthan who failed, persisted, served, and then finally reached the summit of India's most competitive examination — on his third attempt.
The Announcement: UPSC CSE 2025 by the Numbers
The 2025 result is one of the strongest in recent years in terms of female representation and overall diversity.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Total recommended | 958 |
| Men | 659 |
| Women | 299 |
| Vacancies | 1,087 (IAS: 180, IFS: 55, IPS: 150) |
| Women in Top 25 | 11 |
Top 10 Merit List
- Anuj Agnihotri — Roll No. 1131589
- Rajeshwari Suve M — Roll No. 4005040
- Akansh Dhull — Roll No. 3512221
- Raghav Jhunjhunwala
- Ishan Bhatnagar
- Zinnia Aurora
- A R Rajah Mohaideen
- Pakshal Secretry
- Astha Jain
- Ujjwal Priyank
Who Is Anuj Agnihotri?
Roots in Rawatbhata
Anuj Agnihotri hails from Rawatbhata, a small town in the Chittorgarh district of Rajasthan, best known for its Nuclear Power Plant. His father, Krishna Bihari Agnihotri, works at that very plant. The family has lived in Rajasthan since 1964 — deeply rooted in a town that rarely makes national headlines but now has an All India Rank 1 to its name.
The Doctor Who Chose Governance
Anuj is a 2023 graduate of AIIMS Jodhpur, part of the 2017–2022 MBBS batch. His alma mater officially congratulated him on the achievement. Rather than pursuing clinical medicine, he chose civil services — a decision motivated by the desire to drive systemic change in public health and governance from the inside.
Choosing Medical Science as his optional subject was a natural extension of his background, and it proved to be a major strength.
The Celebration
In an interview that revealed his grounded personality, Anuj mentioned that he celebrates every milestone with aloo chaat — a street food from his hometown. No grand gestures. Just consistency, discipline, and chaat.
The Three-Attempt Journey: A Story of Resilience
Anuj's path to AIR 1 is not a straight line. It is the kind of story that every UPSC aspirant needs to understand deeply.
Attempt 1 (CSE 2023): Cleared the examination and was allocated to DANICS (Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Civil Service). He joined as a probationer and is currently serving in that capacity.
Attempt 2 (CSE 2024): Did not make the final merit list. A genuine setback — not a near-miss, but a full absence from the list.
Attempt 3 (CSE 2025): All India Rank 1.
This trajectory carries a message that cutoff chasing and coaching shortcuts don't: the foundation built in your first serious attempt often becomes the bedrock of eventual success. Anuj himself attributes his top performance to the "strong foundation" laid during his first attempt, which he never abandoned even while in active service.
He maintained a routine of 8–10 hours of daily study while simultaneously fulfilling his duties as a probationary officer. That is perhaps the most remarkable detail in his story.
Inside the Interview Room
Anuj's Personality Test performance has generated significant attention, with clips from his mock interview sessions circulating widely.
Intellectual Honesty Over Bluffing
The board values candidates who know the limits of their knowledge. Anuj was noted for his willingness to admit when he did not know a technical answer rather than constructing vague responses. In a setting where hundreds of candidates arrive trained to "seem confident," that honesty stood out.
The Rawatbhata–Energy Policy Connection
Coming from a town whose economy and identity are built around a nuclear facility, Anuj was predictably questioned on India's energy future. His answer was nuanced — arguing for a balanced energy mix that includes nuclear, solar, and renewables — while demonstrating awareness of the environmental concerns around the Aravalli Range. He combined local lived experience with policy fluency in a way that is difficult to fake.
Healthcare Reform Through Behavioral Change
Using his MBBS background, Anuj addressed rural sanitation and public health infrastructure not just through a budget and construction lens, but through the argument that "behavioral change in society is just as important as building hospitals." This framing — grounded in medical understanding of patient behavior — impressed the board and reinforced why his optional subject choice was so effective.
Rajeshwari Suve M: The Female Topper at AIR 2
While Anuj took AIR 1, the story of Rajeshwari Suve M (AIR 2) is equally compelling.
An engineer from Anna University, Chennai, Rajeshwari was already serving as a Deputy Collector in Tamil Nadu before this result. Her transition from a high-responsibility state service role to a national top-2 rank demonstrates that preparation and performance are possible even within demanding jobs.
Her result is a continuation of the trend set by Shakti Dubey (AIR 1 in CSE 2024) — women consistently occupying the very top tier of India's hardest examination.
With 11 women in the top 25 this year, the 2025 result reinforces what has been visible for several years: women are not just participating in civil services but dominating its merit list.
Other Notable Toppers
Zinnia Aurora (AIR 6) secured a top-10 position and has emerged as a symbol of consistency, adding to the strong representation of women from North India.
Raghav Jhunjhunwala (AIR 4) and Ishan Bhatnagar (AIR 5) round out the top 5, with both expected to receive IAS allocation given their ranks and the available vacancies.
What the 2025 Result Tells Us About Modern Civil Services
Medical and Engineering Graduates Are Thriving
The top 10 this year features an MBBS doctor (AIR 1) and an engineer (AIR 2). This continues the visible trend of STEM graduates bringing analytical precision to their answer writing and interviews.
Already-in-Service Candidates Can and Do Top
Both AIR 1 and AIR 2 were serving in government roles during their preparation. This challenges the narrative that only full-time aspirants with zero distractions can reach the top. What matters more is the quality and discipline of the hours committed to preparation.
Optional Subject Alignment Matters
Anuj's choice of Medical Science — directly aligned with his 5-year MBBS training — demonstrates the value of choosing an optional based on genuine expertise rather than "coaching centre success rates." When you know your subject deeply, the marks reflect that.
Persistence Across Attempts Is the Common Thread
Looking across CSE 2021 to 2025, a consistent pattern holds: many toppers clear the exam on their 2nd, 3rd, or 4th attempt. The candidates who eventually top are often those who failed visibly earlier and used that failure as diagnostic data rather than evidence of inability.
What Happens Next for the Selected Candidates
958 recommended candidates will now go through:
- Document verification — educational certificates, category certificates, identity proof
- Medical examination — mandatory fitness assessment for various services
- Service/cadre preference submission — candidates rank their preferred services
- Allocation — based on rank, category, and available vacancies
- Foundation Course at LBSNAA, Mussoorie — the joint induction for all selected IAS, IPS, and IFS officers
For rank 1, Anuj Agnihotri will almost certainly receive IAS, and as AIR 1, he will also have significant choice in his home cadre selection.
A Message for Future Aspirants
Anuj Agnihotri's story carries several lessons that no coaching material can teach:
- Serving in one role while preparing for a higher one is entirely possible. It requires structure, not miracles.
- A failed attempt is not wasted time. It is the most accurate feedback you will ever receive about your preparation.
- Choose your optional based on mastery, not shortcuts.
- The interview rewards genuine thinking and intellectual honesty over rehearsed answers.
And finally: when the result comes — whether you are AIR 1 or AIR 958 — celebrate with whatever grounds you. For Anuj Agnihotri, it is aloo chaat from Rawatbhata.
UPSC CSE 2025 final result declared March 6, 2026. Total recommended: 958. Total vacancies: 1,087. Official result available at upsc.gov.in.