Kathua's Lohitaksh Mahajan tops UPSC CDS-1 final result; 243 candidates selected

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has released the final result of the Combined Defence Services (CDS) 1 examination. Candidates can check their result on the commission's official website, upsc.gov.in. The commission has also released the merit list of candidates chosen in the final round.

Lohitaksh Mahajan of Jammu and Kashmir has secured the first rank in the country in CDS-1 2026. He also tops the merit lists of all three military academies. After the written examination, the Services Selection Board (SSB) of the Ministry of Defence conducted interviews. A total of 243 candidates have been selected on the basis of their performance there.

By academy, 155 candidates have been selected for the Indian Military Academy (IMA), 63 for the Indian Naval Academy (INA) and 25 for the Air Force Academy (AFA), making 243 in all. The selected candidates have been recommended for admission to the 162nd DE Course at IMA Dehradun, the Executive Branch General Service/Hydro Course at INA Ezhimala and the 221st Pre-Flying Training Course at AFA Hyderabad.

Mahajan is a resident of Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir. He studied up to Class 12 at Spring Dales English School in Changran. He then secured admission to IIT Bombay on the strength of his performance in the JEE, and completed his electrical engineering studies there between 2021 and 2026.

In 2021, Mahajan scored 99.988 percentile in JEE Main. His scores were 99.85 percentile in physics, 99.95 in chemistry and 100 in mathematics, and his all-India rank was 194. He also secured rank 544 in JEE Advanced.

To check the result, candidates should first go to upsc.gov.in and click the link titled "UPSC CDS 1 Final Result 2026" on the homepage. The result PDF will open on the screen. Candidates should enter their roll number or name in the search box. If the name appears in the list, the candidate has been selected.

The seat details are as follows. IMA Dehradun has 100 seats in all, of which 13 are reserved for holders of the NCC 'C' certificate (Army wing). INA Ezhimala has 26 seats, including 6 for the NCC Naval Wing and 1 for the Hydro course. AFA Hyderabad has 32 seats in all, of which 3 are reserved for holders of the NCC 'C' certificate (Air Wing) under the NCC Special Entry.