The Indian government has not declared 3, 4, 5, and 6 September 2025 as nationwide public holidays
A post (here, here, and here) is going viral on social media platforms, claiming that the Indian government has declared September 3, 4, 5, and 6, 2025, as nationwide public holidays, leading to the closure of banks, schools, and government offices. We have also received several queries on our WhatsApp tipline (+91 92470 52470), asking whether the government has indeed declared these dates as nationwide public holidays. In this article, we will fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: The Indian government has declared 3, 4, 5, and 6 September 2025 as nationwide public holidays.
Fact: The Indian government has not declared 3, 4, 5, and 6 September 2025 as nationwide public holidays. According to the Indian government’s national portal, only 5 September 2025 has been declared as a gazetted holiday for Milad-un-Nabi or Id-e-Milad (the Birthday of Prophet Muhammad). Most state governments in India have also declared 5 September 2025 as a gazetted holiday on the occasion of Milad-un-Nabi. A few states have gazetted holidays between 3 and 6 September; for instance, Kerala has declared holidays on 4 and 5 September for Onam. However, no state in India has declared continuous holidays from 3 to 6 September 2025 for any festival. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
To verify the veracity of the viral claim, we first checked whether the Government of India had announced any such decision, but found no official notice or press release on the matter. We then visited the National Portal of India. According to the Indian government’s national portal, only 5 September 2025 (Friday) has been declared as a gazetted holiday for Milad-un-Nabi or Id-e-Milad (the Birthday of Prophet Muhammad).
We then examined holidays declared by different state governments in India and found that most state governments have also declared 5 September 2025 as a gazetted holiday on the occasion of Milad-un-Nabi. In a few states, such as Assam and Meghalaya, Milad-un-Nabi is observed as a restricted or optional holiday. Some states have declared holidays between 3 and 6 September 2025; for instance, Kerala has declared holidays on 4 and 5 September for Onam. However, no state in India has declared continuous holidays from 3 to 6 September 2025 for any festival.
Further investigation revealed that this claim was circulated through an article (archive) published by an unverified website that cited no official sources. It should be noted that holidays declared as gazetted holidays by the Government of India apply to all organisations and schools under the Government of India. However, some gazetted holidays declared by the Centre may not be applicable in all states.
According to reports (here, here), the Uttarakhand government has declared a holiday on 1 September 2025 for all government, semi-government, and private schools from Classes 1 to 12, as well as Anganwadi centres, in several districts due to the IMD’s heavy rainfall warning. Schools will remain closed in Dehradun, Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Champawat, Pithoragarh, Haridwar, Pauri, Nainital, Udham Singh Nagar, Tehri, and Almora districts. In Punjab, all government, aided, recognised, and private schools will remain closed until 3 September 2025 due to the ongoing flood situation in the state.
According to the RBI and the websites of major Indian banks (here, here, here, and here), banks in most states will remain closed on 5 September 2025 for Milad-un-Nabi. Banks will also remain closed on 3 September in Jharkhand on the occasion of Karma Puja; on 4 and 5 September in Kerala for Onam; and on 6 September 2025 in Sikkim and Chhattisgarh for Indrajatra/ Milad-un-Nabi.
To sum it up, the Indian government has not declared 3, 4, 5, and 6 September 2025 as nationwide public holidays.