India Ministry of Finance debunks fake bank holiday notification

The Press Information Bureau (PIB) Fact Check Unit has debunked a viral social media document claiming the Central Government declared every Saturday a public holiday for all public sector banks, including the State Bank of India. The Ministry of Finance has not issued any such notification, and the circulating Gazette is confirmed to be fake.

Under current Reserve Bank of India (RBI) regulations, banks remain closed on the second and fourth Saturdays of every month. They are operational on the first, third, and fifth Saturdays.

Separately, banks across India were closed on October 2, 2026, in observance of Gandhi Jayanti, a national holiday. While physical branches were closed, digital banking services such as UPI, net banking, and ATMs remained available to customers.