Who is Anuj Agnihotri, the UPSC CSE 2025 topper?

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has released the final results of the Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2025 after the written examination held in August 2025 and the Personality Test interviews conducted between December 2025 and February 2026.

A total of 958 candidates have been recommended for appointment to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and various Central Services in Group A and Group B, according to the official notice.

Among them, Anuj Agnihotri has secured Rank 1 in the examination.

• UPSC CSE 2025 final results out, 958 recommended for IAS, IFS, IPS and Central Services

From Rawatbhata to the UPSC top rank

Anuj Agnihotri comes from Rawatbhata, a small town in Rajasthan near Kota. He completed his primary schooling there before moving to Jodhpur for higher education.

He pursued Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) at All India Institute of Medical Sciences Jodhpur (AIIMS Jodhpur). After completing his compulsory internship in 2023, he began preparing for the Civil Services Examination, according to a mock interview shared on the official YouTube channel of Vajiram and Ravi.

• Akansh Dhull secures AIR 3 in UPSC CSE 2025: Son of Haryana BJP leader brings pride to Chandigarh

Agnihotri said the preparation process brought challenges that were different from his medical studies. According to him, the Civil Services preparation stage was more difficult than his five years of MBBS.

• UPSC CSE 2025 toppers list: Anuj Agnihotri secures AIR 1, Rajeshwari Suve M and Akansh Dhull follow

Why he chose civil services

Agnihotri said one of the reasons he chose civil services was the nature of the work.

He said he wanted to pursue a career that was not monotonous. According to him, civil services offer a range of responsibilities and exposure to different sectors of governance.

Outside academics, he has interests beyond studies as well. He enjoys watching cricket and has an interest in stand up comedy.

UPSC CSE Results 2025 Live Updates: Final merit list expected to be released soon at upsc.nic.in, check important details here

Civil Services Examination 2025 results

According to the official notice issued by the Press Information Bureau (PIB), 958 candidates have been recommended for appointment this year.

The category wise distribution of recommended candidates is as follows:

• General category: 317
• Economically Weaker Sections (EWS): 104
• Other Backward Classes (OBC): 306
• Scheduled Castes (SC): 158
• Scheduled Tribes (ST): 73

The results also include candidates under the Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) categories. Among them, 10 candidates fall under PwBD-1, 14 under PwBD-2, nine under PwBD-3 and nine under PwBD-5.

The commission stated that the claims of recommended candidates under EWS, OBC, SC, ST and PwBD categories remain subject to verification by the concerned authorities.

For Agnihotri, the result marks the completion of a transition from medical training to civil services. After finishing MBBS and internship, he began preparing for the examination in 2023. The 2025 result now places him at the top of one of India’s most competitive examinations.Ready to navigate global policies? Secure your overseas future. Get expert guidance now!