NEW DELHI: A total of 53 Muslim candidates have cleared the UPSC’s Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2025, marking the community’s strongest performance in nearly a decade and prompting celebrations among aspirants and educators.The results, announced on March 6, recommended 958 candidates for appointment to the IAS, IPS, IFS and other central services, out of which 53 Muslim candidates were selected.The figure represents a rise compared with several recent results. Around 26 Muslim candidates cleared the exam in 2024, while the numbers stood at 30 in 2022, 25 in 2021, and 31 in 2020. In 2023, 51 Muslim candidates made it to the final list.The 2025 outcome therefore ranks among the strongest performances for Muslim aspirants in the civil services, surpassing the widely noted peak years of 2016 (52), 2017 (51) and 2023 (51).For many aspirants, the result has been a source of encouragement.Delhi-based Rashid Ali, a UPSC aspirant from Zakir Nagar, said the outcome had generated excitement within preparation circles. “A day will come when even more students from Muslim community will clear this exam. Results like these are inspirational,” he said.Within this year’s list, several candidates secured high ranks. AR Raja Mohideen, a 26-year-old MBBS graduate from Tamil Nadu, secured All India Rank 7, making him the highest-ranked Muslim candidate in the 2025 list. Mohideen cleared the examination in his third attempt after deciding to pursue public administration following his experiences as a medical intern during the COVID-19 pandemic.Institutions that provide subsidised coaching for civil services preparation also reported successful candidates. Jamia Millia Islamia’s Residential Coaching Academy (RCA) said 38 candidates associated with its programme cleared the examination this year, including Mohideen, Ifra Shams Ansari (AIR 24) and Nabiya Parvez (AIR 29).Fifteen of the successful candidates linked to the programme are women, up from 12 in 2024.Such initiatives aim to support students who may otherwise struggle to afford private coaching institutes, which often dominate the UPSC preparation ecosystem.Despite the improved showing, the results continue to reflect a longstanding representation gap. Muslims constitute roughly 14.2% of India’s population, according to the 2011 Census, but their share in this year’s final merit list stands at about 5.5%.Sociologist and former IGNOU vice-chancellor M Aslam, who has researched Muslim participation in the civil services for decades, said that despite challenges, Muslim aspirants performed extraordinarily well.The civil services examination remains among the most competitive in the country. More than nine lakh candidates applied for the preliminary examination in 2025, but fewer than a thousand ultimately made it to the final merit list.
