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UPSC's 100 Years: Subhas Chandra Bose Secured Fourth in 1920 ICS Exam, Later Resigned
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News18•01-10-2026, 13:23
UPSC's 100 Years: Subhas Chandra Bose Secured Fourth in 1920 ICS Exam, Later Resigned
- •Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted Subhas Chandra Bose's 1920 ICS exam during UPSC's centenary celebrations at Bharat Mandapam.
- •Bose took the open competitive examination for the Indian Civil Service (ICS) in London in 1920, six years before UPSC's establishment in 1926.
- •Despite losing an estimated 150 marks in the Sanskrit paper due to an incomplete translation, Bose secured the fourth position in the ICS exam.
- •The ICS exam included subjects like English Composition, Sanskrit, Philosophy, English Law, and Modern European History.
- •Bose resigned from the ICS in 1921, choosing national service over a career with the British government, a decision he communicated to his brother Sarat Chandra Bose.
Key Questions Answered
Subhas Chandra Bose took the open competitive Indian Civil Service examination in London in early July 1920.
He secured the fourth position in the entire competitive examination, despite missing about 150 marks in the Sanskrit paper.
He decided to resign in 1921 because he believed that serving in the British government's civil service would prevent him from dedicating himself to national work.
