All Saturdays declared bank holiday? PIB fact check responds to viral SBI, public sector banks claim

A fake government notification claiming that all public sector banks, including SBI, will remain closed every Saturday is circulating on social media. PIB Fact Check has debunked the claim.

Edited By: Analiza Pathak

Published: October 1, 2026, 2:41 PM IST

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https://www.india.com/business/all-saturdays-declared-bank-holiday-pib-fact-check-responds-to-viral-sbi-public-sector-banks-claim-public-holiday-for-public-sector-banks-8531892/ Copy

All Saturdays declared bank holiday? PIB fact check responds to viral SBI, public sector banks claim | Image: AI

The Press Information Bureau (PIB) Fact Check unit has dismissed as fake a government gazette notification circulating on social media that claims all public sector banks, including the State Bank of India (SBI), will remain closed every Saturday. In a post on X, PIB Fact Check said the Finance Ministry’s Department of Financial Services has not issued any such notification.

The agency clarified that the document being shared online is fake and should not be treated as an official government order.

The viral document reportedly claims that the Central Government has declared every Saturday a public holiday for public sector banks. However, PIB said there is no Finance Ministry notification announcing such a decision.

PIB Fact Check also urged people to avoid forwarding unverified government-related documents on social media. It advised citizens to check official sources before believing or sharing such information.

The fact check team also advised people to contact the PIB Fact Check team through WhatsApp at +91 8799711259 or email, factcheck@pib.gov.in, to report suspicious claims.

A Gazette circulating on social media , purportedly issued by the Ministry of Finance (Department of Financial Services), claims that the Central Government has declared every Saturday a public holiday for all Public Sector Banks , including SBI.#PIBFactCheck:

❌ The document… pic.twitter.com/ClCqEt2UAX

— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) October 1, 2026

The clarification comes amid discussions around bank holidays and a proposed nationwide strike by bank employees. The United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) had earlier deferred a three-day nationwide bank strike after holding talks with the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA).

According to the bank unions, representatives of the IBA and UFBU met on Sunday and agreed to defer the proposed strike following discussions.

For now, the viral claim that every Saturday will be a public holiday for all public sector banks is false, according to PIB Fact Check.