Supreme Court to Hear Plea on Exclusion of Haemophilia Patients from UPSC Exams
On 16 September, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a case concerning the exclusion of persons with haemophilia from eligibility under the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examinations.
A Bench of Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice NV Anjaria was considering a writ petition filed by a UPSC aspirant suffering from haemophilia. Senior Advocate Jayna Kothari, representing the petitioner, argued that haemophilia is recognised as a benchmark disability under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. However, it is not included in the 4% reservation provided to candidates with benchmark disabilities under Section 34 of the Act.
She further submitted that haemophilia leads to locomotive disability, which is already recognised for reservation benefits.
Justice Kumar observed that the Court would not examine the medical consequences of haemophilia but questioned the Union government on why the blood disorder was excluded from the reservation list. He remarked:
“What is the wisdom that has gone into this? Having included haemophilia in the Schedule, you do not want to include it in the substantive law. Does this not amount to discrimination? If the reasoning is rational and not discriminatory, we will accept it.”
The Court has issued notice and will hear the matter in detail.
Case Title: Prema Ram vs Union of India
Case Number: W.P.(C) No. 619/2025
