Pune, 29 November 2025 — The National Defence Academy (NDA) held the Convocation Ceremony of its 149th Course at Habibullah Hall today, marking a major milestone in the academic and professional journey of future leaders of the Indian Armed Forces. The Chief Guest for the ceremony was Dr Ajay Kumar, Chairman, Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), who addressed the gathering of cadets, faculty, officers and proud families.
Dr Ajay Kumar was received by Vice Admiral Anil Jaggi, Commandant, NDA. During the ceremony, Dr Vinay Deep, Officiating Principal, presented the Academic Report of the Autumn Term 2025, highlighting key accomplishments and academic excellence achieved during the term.
In his Convocation Address, the UPSC Chairman congratulated the cadets for successfully completing their rigorous training at one of the world’s most prestigious tri-service academies. He commended their dedication, discipline and resilience, emphasising their responsibility as Scholar-Warriors in a complex, rapidly changing security environment. Dr Kumar also expressed heartfelt appreciation to the parents for their support and encouragement in motivating their wards to pursue a life of honour and service to the nation.
A total of 328 cadets passed out as part of the 149th Course. Of these, 216 cadets were awarded Bachelor’s Degrees from the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), including:
– 72 cadets in the Science stream
– 92 cadets in the Computer Science stream
– 52 cadets in the Arts stream
In addition, 18 cadets from Friendly Foreign Countries were also awarded degrees, highlighting India’s deepening defence cooperation and its commitment to international military training partnerships.
Separately, 112 cadets of the B.Tech stream (Navy and Air Force) received their three-year course completion certificates. They will receive their B.Tech degrees upon completing an additional year of training at their respective pre-commissioning academies — the Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala, and the Air Force Academy, Hyderabad.
The ceremony showcased NDA’s continued emphasis on academic excellence, character-building and holistic development. Several cadets were honoured for their outstanding achievements:
Cadet Kartik Maheshwari of ‘M’ Squadron stood first in the Science Stream with an FGPA of 8.11, earning the Commandant’s Silver Medal and the COAS Rolling Trophy, instituted by General K. Sunderji (Retd).
Cadet Ananya of ‘G’ Squadron topped the Computer Science Stream with an FGPA of 8.36, receiving the Commandant’s Silver Medal and the Admiral’s Rolling Trophy, presented by Admiral Sureesh Mehta (Retd).
Cadet Anurag Gupta of ‘B’ Squadron secured first place in the Social Science Stream with an FGPA of 7.44, earning the Commandant’s Silver Medal and the CAS Trophy, presented by Air Chief Marshal NC Suri (Retd).
Cadet Vishwesh Bhalerao of ‘F’ Squadron stood first in the B.Tech Stream with a CGPA of 8.05 across six semesters of training at NDA. He received the Commandant’s Silver Medal and the CISC Trophy, presented by HQ Integrated Defence Staff.
The convocation concluded with resounding applause for the graduating cadets, who now move on to the next phase of their military careers — ready to serve, lead and uphold the highest standards of the Indian Armed Forces.
