Thalassemic to move SC to realise his civil services dream

Rejected by the medical board at Delhi's Safdarjung hospital to join any branch of the civil services

PTI | June 15, 2011



Rejected by the medical board at Delhi's Safdarjung hospital to join any branch of the civil services as he was suffering from a rare genetic disorder, 25-year-old Sukhsohit Singh on Wednesday said he was contemplating moving the supreme court to live his childhood dream.

Suffering from 'thalassemia major', Singh claims to be the first person with the disorder to have cleared the civil services examination in 2008, with a rank of 833 in the general category.

"I had made three preferences -- Indian defence accounts service, Indian railway accounts services and Railways personnel services and had duly attached the relevant medical certificates when I applied for the UPSC examination. I was not declared as ineligible then," Singh said.

He said that it was for the first time that department of personnel and training (DoPT) had to deal with a candidate suffering from the disorder.

"The medical board at Delhi's Safdarjung hospital this year declared me unfit to join any branch of the civil services.

"They did not, however, assign any reason nor did they make any observation and they just stated that since I was suffering from thalassemia major, I am unfit to join," Singh, who hails from Panchkula in Haryana, told PTI over phone from Jaipur.

Singh, who is currently in Jaipur taking his medical tests after clearing the Rajasthan Administrative Services examination in April 2011, said that he was contemplating filing a PIL in the supreme court shortly on behalf of the Federation of Indian Thalassemics.

He said that he had challenged the rejection of the board before DoPT after which the government constituted a new medical board at Delhi's Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) hospital.

"However, I have no hope from RML. My case is close to rejection and only alternative left with me is to move the court," he said.

"What I have been indicated by the authorities is that I cannot get into services because it may lead to a burden on government as early retirement is possible and they will have to give pensionary benefits," he said.

"I say if I am denied entry into civil services, this is violation of my human rights and right to life and dignity and right to equal opportunities to public services," he claimed, adding, it was not just his case, but discrimination towards thousands of others suffering from medical problems such as his.

Sukhsohit Singh was diagnosed with the disorder at the age of two after which he has been regularly undergoing tranfusion.

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