Chandigarh Adm asked to specify whether Nov 25 constitutes a public or Govt holiday
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, November 24, 2025: Hemant Kumar, Chandigarh-based HC advocate has formally requested the Union Territory Administration to clarify whether November 25, 2025, declared as a holiday for Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji’s Martyrdom Day, is to be treated as a Public Holiday under the Negotiable Instruments Act or simply a Government Holiday.
In a detailed representation addressed to Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Shri Gulab Chand Kataria, Chandigarh Chief Secretary H. Rajesh Prasad, IAS, and Home Secretary Mandip Singh Brar, IAS, Advocate Hemant Kumar raised concerns about the terminology used in the Administration’s recent notification.
The Home Department’s Notification No. 6/1/1-1H(1)-2025/15890, issued on November 21, 2025, declared November 25 as a “Public Holiday” for all government offices, boards, corporations, institutions, and industrial establishments under the Chandigarh Administration—replacing the earlier status of a restricted holiday notified in December 2024.
Advocate Kumar argued that the term Public Holiday carries a specific legal meaning, applicable only to holidays notified under Section 25 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881, which governs banking and commercial holidays. He pointed out that the Administration’s latest notification does not explicitly declare the holiday under this Act, unlike the Punjab Government, which has done so in its own notification.
He noted that government circulars issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) for Central Government offices also use the term “Holidays” rather than “Public Holidays,” reinforcing the distinction.
According to Kumar, the Administration should have used “Holiday” or “Government Holiday” instead of “Public Holiday,” unless it intended to notify the holiday under the Negotiable Instruments Act.
He requested the Administrator and senior UT officials to review the matter and issue a clarification to avoid administrative ambiguity.