India Had Never Seen A Thalassaemic Civil Servant, Sukhsohit Singh Made Sure It Would.

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In 2008, a young man from Panchkula, Haryana, cleared one of the world's most competitive examinations: the Union Public Service Commission civil services exam, securing an all-India rank of 833 in the general category. He had done so despite a medical condition that required a blood transfusion every 15 days. His name is Sukhsohit Singh. He is the first person with Thalassaemia Major to have cleared it.

What followed was not a smooth induction. It was a year-long fight that eventually reached the Prime Minister's office and quietly rewrote Indian law.

Photo Credit: Instagram: @sukhsohitsingh

A Condition Diagnosed At Birth, A Record Built Despite It

Sukhsohit was diagnosed with Thalassaemia Major in 1985 when he was only one-and-a-half years old. Doctors advised his parents to take good care of their son and assured them he would be able to lead a normal life, with regular medication and blood transfusions as lifelong prescriptions.

He topped the 10+2 examination across all Kendriya Vidyalayas in the Chandigarh region. He completed his B.Com with honours in Business Economics and secured first rank in the Income Tax examination. He was pursuing his PhD from Panjab University when he sat for the civil services exam, choosing public administration and sociology as his optional subjects.

The Board That Said No

After securing 833rd rank, Sukhsohit was considered medically unfit on the basis of Safdarjung Hospital's report, which declared him a thalassaemia patient. After receiving a letter of denial from the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), he appealed for reconsideration of the decision regarding his medical examination.

His appeal was heard, and he was sent to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. He was rejected there too.

His physician at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Dr RK Marwaha, had issued a certificate of medical fitness, telling Newsline that once proper blood transfusion and iron chelation therapy are carried out in the initial years of a patient's life, the body's organs start functioning normally. The medical boards did not accept this position.

"I don't understand why I'm being denied a job when I am mentally and intellectually fit for any form of civil services," Sukhsohit told Newsline at the time. He argued that his ailment would in no way hinder his performance, particularly since he had opted for non-police services. NGOs, including Thalassaemics India and the Federation of Indian Thalassaemics, supported his case.

When The PM Stepped In

Mail Today highlighted the case in its June 13 issue under the headline "Thalassaemic man denied a job that was rightfully his." The story spread rapidly. I&B Minister Ambika Soni wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, urging him to intervene. The PM forwarded the letter to the Minister for Personnel Affairs in the PMO, asking for further action.

On 19 August 2011, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh stepped in to approve Sukhsohit's selection. The DoPT sent him an official communication confirming his appointment and requested the Ministry of Defence - the cadre-controlling authority to allow him to join by September 13 and exempt him from attending the foundation course.

A Personal Victory With A National Consequence

"The real victory will come when Parliament passes the new disability law wherein thalassaemia has been included as a disability and reservation in jobs proposed for thalassaemics," Sukhsohit told The Tribune at the time of his appointment.

That victory came five years later. The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, recognised Thalassaemia, Haemophilia, and Sickle Cell Disease as disabilities for the first time, extending reservation in government jobs and higher education to those affected. The Act expanded the total number of recognised disability conditions from 7 to 21.

Bottomline

India has an estimated 100,000 to 150,000 patients currently living with Thalassaemia Major, with 10,000 to 15,000 new children diagnosed every year. Most will spend their lives managing a condition that is invisible to the systems meant to include them. Sukhsohit Singh did not just clear an exam, he exposed a gap in the law, persisted until it was filled, and left behind a legal framework that now protects thousands of others. That is a different kind of public service altogether.