Depression, Legal Battle And UPSC Exam: IAS Alankrita Pandey’s Saga Of Success And Resilience

Clearing the UPSC exam is a daunting challenge. Aspirants have to study intensely as the civil services exam requires extensive knowledge and. Lakhs of candidates compete for the high-profile exam, but only a few become IAS, IPS and IFS. One such person who triumphed over the UPSC CSE exam conducted by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is IAS Alankrita Pandey. She overcame depression, bounced back and cleared the exam. She also fought a long legal battle with the state of West Bengal over her request to get transferred to Bihar, where her husband, IAS Anshul Agarwal, was posted.

Who is IAS Alankrita Pandey? 

IAS Alankrita cracked UPSC 2015 exam and secured All India Rank (AIR) 85 in her very first attempt. She is a 2016 batch IAS officer. Initially, she was allotted West Bengal cadre, but after her marriage with IAS Anshul Agarwal, she was given inter cadre transfer to Bihar.

IAS Alankrita belongs to Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Her UPSC journey was not easy. She decided to prepare for UPSC in 2014, but in mid of that year, she faced a personal crisis. Alankrita used to take anti-depressants, anger management sessions and counselling from friends and family. She was supposed to appear for prelims in 2014, but could not take it. 

However, she bounced back and decided to only focus on her career. She cracked UPSC civil services exam in her first attempt in 2015. She used to study 8 hours per day. Before UPSC, she worked in an IT company in Bengaluru. She completed her graduation in engineering from MNIIT-Allahabad.

Fought A Long Legal Battle For Cadre Change

IAS Alankrita Pandey won a long legal battle with the West Bengal government to get her Bihar cadre. Pandey, who is from Kanpur, had cleared the UPSC exam in 2015 with an AIR of 85 and was allotted West Bengal cadre. However, she wanted to work in Bihar, where her husband, IAS Anshul Agarwal, was posted.

Pandey applied for an inter-cadre transfer to Bihar, but the West Bengal government rejected her request on the grounds of shortage of officers. She then approached the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), which ruled in her favour in 2018.