Success Story: 1999 — a boy from Kanpur couldn’t understand his UPSC result, wrote a letter to the Chairman, and eventually became an IAS officer.

 

Ashutosh Agnihotri IAS Success Story: The Man Who Made UPSC Change Its Own Result

Some stories in the corridors of UPSC are nothing short of legends — and one of them is the incredible journey of Ashutosh Agnihotri. This tale goes back to a time when even telephones weren’t common in every home, let alone the internet.

The Year Was 1999 — A Boy from Kanpur Took on UPSC

Challenging the final results of the UPSC Civil Services Exam is considered almost impossible. But imagine this: a young man who found his name at Rank 277, selected for the Indian Defence Accounts Service (IDAS), suddenly refused to accept his result. That young man was Ashutosh Agnihotri from Kanpur — and what followed became one of the most extraordinary moments in UPSC history.

A Typing Error That Changed a Life

After the results were declared, Ashutosh noticed something unusual in his mark sheet. In his optional subject — where he expected to score high — he had been given only 70 marks. Convinced something was wrong, he checked further and realized a shocking clerical error: his actual 176 marks had been entered under another candidate’s name, and someone else’s 70 marks were credited to him.

The Letter That Shook UPSC

When Ashutosh shared this with friends and mentors, everyone advised him to stay quiet — challenging UPSC was unheard of. But he refused to give up. He wrote a detailed letter directly to the UPSC Chairman, calmly explaining the error. What happened next was nothing short of historic.

Within weeks, the Commission rechecked his papers, verified the mistake, and on 1st September 1999, UPSC officially revised the results — a first in its history. Ashutosh’s rank jumped from 277th to 26th, making him an IAS officer instead of an IDAS one.

Truth, Courage, and Confidence Paid Off

The then UPSC Chairman, Lt. Gen. Surinder Nath, personally ordered the investigation. The inquiry confirmed the clerical mix-up, and the correction was made public — setting a rare example of transparency and fairness in the country’s toughest exam.

Where Is Today?

Today, Ashutosh Agnihotri serves as the Chairman of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and the Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) on central deputation. His story stands as a timeless reminder that confidence, truth, and perseverance can move even the most rigid systems.