India, July 10 -- The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Union government to respond to a petition that sought reservation in public employment to persons with haemophilia, a blood clotting deficiency.

The petition filed by Prema Ram, a person with haemophilia, argued that such persons face locomotor disability as internal bleeding in joints causes limb deformity, which can become severe in some cases. The petitioner, who has a benchmark disability certified with 50% disability of haemophilia, said that people with the blood disorder were not eligible for reservation in government jobs under the Right to Persons with Disabilities Act.

"We will issue notice," the bench of justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi, sitting during the...