2027 Central Government Holiday List: Department of Posts Issues Important Guidelines
Central Government Holidays for 2027: Department of Posts Issues Guidelines
The Department of Posts has issued instructions regarding the holidays to be observed in Central Government Offices during the calendar year 2027. The communication, issued by the Establishment Division on 08 September 2026, forwards the Office Memorandum of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) and directs all Postal Circles to prepare and circulate the holiday list for offices under their control.
Download 2027 Central Government Holiday List in PDF
14 Compulsory Holidays and 3 Variable Holidays
For Central Government offices located outside Delhi/New Delhi, 14 holidays are compulsory. These include Republic Day, Independence Day, Mahatma Gandhi's Birthday, Buddha Purnima, Christmas Day, Dussehra, Diwali, Good Friday, Guru Nanak's Birthday, Id-ul-Fitr, Id-ul-Zuha, Mahavir Jayanti, Muharram and Id-e-Milad. In addition, three holidays will be selected from a list of 12 optional holidays by the Central Government Employees Welfare Coordination Committee at the State Capital.
The 12 optional holidays include Holi, Janmashtami, Ram Navami, Maha Shivratri, Ganesh Chaturthi, Makar Sankranti, Rath Yatra, Onam, Pongal, Sri Panchami/Basant Panchami and other regionally important festivals.
State-Level Selection of Holidays
For offices outside Delhi/New Delhi, the three variable holidays will be selected by the Central Government Employees Welfare Coordination Committee in the State Capital, where necessary in consultation with Coordination Committees at other places in the State.
Once finalised, the list will be applicable uniformly to the concerned Central Government offices within the State, and no subsequent change will ordinarily be permitted in the festivals and dates specified.
Restricted Holidays
The Restricted Holiday list appended to the DoPT memorandum is specifically meant for Central Government administrative offices in Delhi/New Delhi. State-level Coordination Committees may prepare separate Restricted Holiday lists based on local importance.
The nine occasions left over after selecting the three variable holidays are also to be included in the Restricted Holiday list.
Important Provision Regarding Holidays Falling on Weekly Off
The memorandum clearly states that no substitute holiday will be allowed if a festival holiday initially declared subsequently falls on a weekly off or another non-working day. The same applies where more than one festival falls on the same day.
Changes in Islamic Festival Dates
For Id-ul-Fitr, Id-ul-Zuha, Muharram and Id-e-Milad, the date may be changed where necessary depending upon the sighting of the Moon.
For offices outside Delhi/New Delhi, the State Capital Coordination Committees are authorised to change the date based on the decision of the concerned State Government/UT Administration. Such changes may be announced at short notice through official public communication, and offices may act on the announcement without waiting for a formal order.
Diwali Holiday
The memorandum notes that Diwali (Deepavali) falls on Friday, 29 October 2027. It also provides that in States where the State Government observes the holiday on Naraka Chaturdasi, Central Government offices may observe Deepavali on that day instead, where applicable.
Instructions to Postal Circles
The Department of Posts has directed all Circles to prepare the holiday lists for their operative and administrative offices for 2027 in accordance with the DoPT instructions and circulate them to all concerned.
Importantly, all Circles have also been requested to update their respective holiday lists on the India Post website at the earliest for compliance with the Directorate.
2027 Holiday Calendar
The Annexure to the DoPT memorandum provides the detailed holiday calendar. For Delhi/New Delhi administrative offices, the list contains 17 holidays, including Republic Day, Id-ul-Fitr, Holi, Good Friday, Ram Navami, Mahavir Jayanti, Id-ul-Zuha, Buddha Purnima, Muharram, Independence Day, Milad-un-Nabi, Janmashtami, Mahatma Gandhi's Birthday, Dussehra, Diwali, Guru Nanak's Birthday and Christmas Day.
The Restricted Holiday annexure contains 32 occasions, ranging from New Year's Day and Makar Sankranti to Ganesh Chaturthi, Onam, various Dussehra days, Naraka Chaturdasi, Govardhan Puja, Bhai Duj, Chhath Puja and Christmas Eve.
Conclusion
The holiday instructions for 2027 provide a framework for uniform observance of holidays across Central Government offices while allowing States to select holidays of local and regional importance.
For the Department of Posts, the next important step is the preparation and circulation of the State/Circle-wise holiday list for 2027, followed by its publication on the India Post website.