From sugarcane fields to the courtroom: How Dnyaneshwar Chavan beat the odds to clear Maharashtra’s Civil Judge Exam

He was the first in his family to pass Class 10—a milestone that came with a promise. His parents told him they would work day and night to fund his education if he committed to studying further and building a life beyond theirs. He carried that promise with him.

He recently cleared the Maharashtra Civil Judge (Junior Division) and Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) examination, conducted by the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC).

From BCom to LLB and LLM

After Class 10, Chavan steadily progressed through the education system – completing his BCom at Modern College in Pune. “After BCom, there were jobs, but they were very low-paying. Some friends had applied for LLB, so I joined too, hoping the legal career would make me financially stable,” he recalls.

He pursued his LLB from Navalmal Firodia Law College and later completed his LLM from the University of Mumbai. It was only during his LLB that he first heard about judicial services – and something clicked.

Dnyaneshwar Chavan (centre) is welcomed by family and villagers at Ganesh Nagar Tanda after securing Rank 12 in the MPSC Civil Judge and JMFC examination. (Express Photo)

“I got the idea about judicial services only after completing LLB. I decided I wanted to achieve something big,” he says.

He began his preparation in 2022 with a clear goal: the Maharashtra Civil Judge (Junior Division) and Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) examination, conducted by the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC).

The MPSC Civil Judge and JMFC examination is one of the most competitive judicial recruitment exams in the state, consisting of three stages – preliminary, mains, and a personal interview.

In his first attempt in 2022, Chavan cleared all three stages and reached the interview round. But he narrowly missed the final merit list. It was a hard blow, but not a decisive one. He regrouped, identified where he had fallen short, and went back to replan.

It takes a village

Just as Chavan was deep into his second attempt, life dealt him a severe blow — his father died in 2023. “I collapsed emotionally and financially,” he says.

The preparation that had demanded everything from him now felt impossible to continue. But the people around him stepped in. His close friends, Ajay Raut and Sanket Lonare, arranged his accommodation and shared their study material with him. His mentor, Ganesh Shirsath – who runs a coaching institute in Pune’s Sadashiv Peth – allowed him to attend classes at no cost. Back home in Parbhani, his elder brothers took up farm labour to keep the household afloat.

“Without this support, I couldn’t have withstood the challenges alone and might have veered off,” Chavan says. “All the hard work and consistent efforts have paid off, but none of it would have been possible without them.”

Following a routine

With grief on one side and a goal on the other, Chavan built a strict daily routine and stuck to it. He would be at the reading room by 7 am, study until 9 am, break for breakfast, and return to his books until 1 pm. After a short afternoon rest, the second session ran from 2 to 7 pm, followed by dinner and a final sitting until 11 pm.

“I stayed completely off social media from 2023 to 2025 – no distractions, no detours. Also, I had clarity that I had nothing to lose. So I put in all the hard work,” he says.

Even before the final result was announced, Chavan’s consistency had begun to show results. In October 2025, he was selected as a Judicial Research Assistant at the Aurangabad Bench of the Bombay High Court, an early signal that his preparation was on the right track.

On April 10, MPSC announced the final results of the Civil Judge and JMFC examination – the recruitment cycle that had been advertised in 2023. Dnyaneshwar Chavan’s name was on the merit list. Rank 12.

For the boy from Ganesh Nagar Tanda, whose parents harvested sugarcane so he could sit in a classroom, it was the culmination of everything.

A promise to give back

Chavan is clear that his journey does not end with his own success. He wants to guide future aspirants, particularly those from underprivileged backgrounds who face the same resource constraints he once did.

“In the future, I will help aspirants navigate these exams, especially those from unprivileged backgrounds who need guidance but have limited resources,” he says.

His advice to those currently preparing is simple and hard-earned: “Be focused and consistent. There is cut-throat competition out there. Have clarity, have purpose – and put in the work.”