In Ganesh Nagar Tanda, a small village in Maharashtra’s Parbhani district, Dnyaneshwar Chavan grew up in a house that was often empty. A member of the Banjara community, his childhood was marked by deprivation – his parents spent most of the year as migrant sugarcane harvesters, traveling across the state and moving from village to village in search of work.
With no one to take care of him, 27-year-old Chavan studied till Class 8 in a Zilla Parishad school and later in an ashram school in Parbhani. He was enrolled in Sri Sant Dnyaneshwar Vidyalaya in Alandi, away from his village, as it was the only viable option according to his circumstances.
He was the first in his family to pass 10th class – a milestone that came with a promise. His parents told him that they would work day and night to raise funds for his education if he was committed to further studies and making a life ahead of them. He took that promise with him.
He recently passed the Maharashtra Civil Judge (Junior Division) and Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) examination conducted by Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC).
From B.Com to LLB and LLM
After class 10th, Chavan continued to progress in the education system – completing B.Com at Modern College, Pune. He recalls, “There were jobs after B.Com, but they were very low-paid. Some friends had applied for LLB, so I joined in, hoping that a legal career would make me financially stable.”
He studied LLB from Navalmal Firodia Law College and later completed LLM from Mumbai University. It was during his LLB that he first heard about judicial services – and something like this happened.
Dnyaneshwar Chavan (centre) being welcomed by his family and villagers in Ganesh Nagar Tanda after securing 12th rank in MPSC Civil Judge and JMFC examination. (Express Photo)
“I thought about judicial services only after completing LLB. I decided I wanted to achieve something big,” he says.
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He started his preparation in 2022 with a clear target: Maharashtra Civil Judge (Junior Division) and Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) examination conducted by Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC).
The MPSC Civil Judge and JMFC exam is one of the most competitive judicial recruitment examinations 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 missed the final merit list by a small margin. It was a hard blow, but not a decisive one. He regrouped, recognized where things were lacking, and went back to planning again.
it takes a village
As Chavan delved deeper into his second attempt, life dealt him a serious blow – his father died in 2023. “I collapsed emotionally and financially,” he says.
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The preparation which had demanded everything from him now seemed impossible to continue. But the people around him stepped forward. His close friends, Ajay Raut and Sanket Lonare arranged for his accommodation and shared his study material with him. His guru, Ganesh Shirsath – who runs a coaching institute in Pune’s Sadashiv Peth – allowed him to attend classes without any fees. Coming back to their home in Parbhani, his elder brothers started working as farm laborers to run the household.
“Without this support, I would not have been able to face the challenges alone and would probably have gone astray,” says Chavan. “All the hard work and consistent effort paid off, but it wouldn’t have been possible without them.”
following a routine
With grief on one side and goals on the other, Chavan created a strict daily routine and stuck to it. He would reach the reading room by 7 in the morning, study till 9, take a break for breakfast and return to his books by 1 in the afternoon. After a short afternoon break, the second session ran from 2 pm to 7 pm, followed by dinner and the final meeting by 11 pm.
He says, “I stayed completely off social media from 2023 to 2025 – no distractions, no interruptions. Plus, I had the clarity that I had nothing to lose. So I worked hard.”
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Chavan’s consistency had started showing results even before the final results were declared. In October 2025, he was selected as a Judicial Research Assistant in the Aurangabad Bench of the Bombay High Court, an early indication that his preparation was on the right track.
On April 10, MPSC announced the final result of Civil Judge and JMFC examination – recruitment cycle which was advertised in 2023. Dnyaneshwar Chavan’s name was in the merit list. Rank 12.
For the boy from Ganesh Nagar Tanda, whose parents cut sugarcane so he could sit in classes, it was the culmination of everything.
promise to give back
Chavan is clear that his journey does not end with his own success. He wants to guide future aspirants, especially those from underprivileged backgrounds, who face the same lack of resources he once faced.
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He says, “In the future, I will help candidates crack these exams, especially those from underprivileged backgrounds who need guidance but have limited resources.”
His advice for those currently preparing is simple and hard-hitting: “Stay focused and consistent. There is tough competition out there. Have clarity, be objective – and put in the work.”