Saturday bank holiday: Has government declared all Saturdays as holidays for SBI and other public sector banks? PIB says this

A gazette notification circulating on social media claims that the central government has declared every Saturday as a public holiday for all public sector banks, including State Bank of India (SBI).

The Press Information Bureau’s (PIB) Fact Check team has clarified that the gazette document being circulated on social media is fake. The Ministry of Finance has not issued any notification declaring every Saturday as a public holiday for public sector banks.

Fake gazette claims every Saturday is a bank holiday

The document circulating online is being presented as a gazette notification from the Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance.


As per the fake gazette notification, “In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 25 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 (26 of 1881), the central government hereby declares every Saturday as a public holiday for all public sector banks, including State Bank of India, with immediate effect.”

According to the viral claim, all public sector banks, including SBI, would remain closed every Saturday.

What did the PIB’s Fact Check team say?

The PIB Fact Check team, which verifies claims related to the central government, said that the document being circulated is fake.

The fact check team also advised people to flag suspicious content related to the central government.

People can contact the PIB Fact Check team through WhatsApp at +91 8799711259 or email, factcheck@pib.gov.in, to report suspicious claims.

What does the RBI rule say about the Saturday bank holiday?

The RBI issues the holiday schedule for all public sector banks in India. Bank customers should always check the official holiday calendar or their bank's communication before assuming that a particular Saturday will be a holiday.

In India, banks are closed on the second and fourth Saturdays as per the RBI rule. Banks work as regular days on the first, third and fifth Saturdays unless specified as a bank holiday in the RBI holiday calendar.

The fake notification message appeared at a time when the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) deferred the September 28-30 strike. The UFBU decided so after reaching an understanding with the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) on forming a high-level committee to resolve their demands.