Ira Singhal topped the UPSC civil services examination this year.
Delhi's Ira Singhal topped the Union Public Services Commission civil services exam this year. But celebrations at her home are a little muted, as her parents are apprehensive about whether she will get a posting.
Ms Singhal is differently abled, and her parents say although she had cleared the revenue services exam earlier, she had not got a posting. The young woman is an engineer from Delhi's NSIT (Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology) and an MBA from FMS. And she had taken the civil services exam in the general category.
"We are extremely happy with her result but we are not sure if she will get a posting or not," Ira's father Rajender Singhal told NDTV.
Ms Singhal passed the Indian Revenue Service or IRS exam in 2010, said Mr Singhal. "First the revenue department refused (to give her a posting), and once it agreed, the DOPT (Department of Personnel and Training) refused," he said.
It was a long legal battle. "She finally won the case in 2014," added Mr Singhal.
"Ira has never let her disability or any other thing comes her way. She is a normal person. In fact, she always tries to help others," said her mother Anita Singhal.
Ira was overjoyed by her exam results. "I want to be an IAS officer. I want to do something for the benefit of physically-handicapped people," Ira told NDTV.
Ms Singhal said she knew what issues affect the disabled population of the country, "how they are treated differently and how they have to put in the extra effort and go that extra mile to achieve something".
"I hope to be able to work alongside them," she added.
The next three ranks in this year's civil services exam were occupied by women this year.
They are Renu Raj, a doctor from Kerala, Nidhi Gupta an IRS official and Vandana Rao.