Bank Holiday, Republic Day: Is Your Banking Branch Open On January 26? Check List Of Cities With Banks Closed

If you are planning to carry out any banking transactions at your bank's nearby branch from tomorrow onward, then you might find it closed. This is because banks are going for a three-day long weekend. Banks will be closed from January 26 to 28 due to the Republic Day celebration and the fourth Saturday of the current month. Sunday is a holiday by default.

Hence, you might want to finish your banking transactions which require the need to visit the banks by Thursday, January 25, or postpone it till Monday, January 29.

Republic Day, January 26 is among the national holidays which are celebrated across the country's states and union territories. Employees on days like January 26, have the right to have paid leaves on national holidays which also include Independence Day (August 15), and Gandhi Jayanti (October 2).

Hence, banks, both private and public on January 26.

On Republic Day, flag hoisting ceremonies and parades by armed forces and school children are held in different parts of the country. The grandest and most important of these parades is held at Kartavya Path in New Delhi, which showcases a multi-hued image of the country's rich cultural heritage and military prowess. With the themes of 'Viksit Bharat' and 'Bharat - Loktantra ki Matruka', the 75th Republic Day Parade at Kartavya Path on January 26, 2024 will be women-centric.

As per RBI's guidelines, cities in which banks will be closed on January 26 are -- Mumbai, New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Chennai, Kolkata, Thiruvananthapuram, Patna, and Hyderabad in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Other places where banks will be closed are -Agartala, Belapur, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Gangtok, Guwahati, Itanagar, Imphal, Jammu, Jaipur, Jammu, Kanpur, Kochi, Kohima, Lucknow, Nagpur, Panaji, Raipur, Ranchi, Srinagar, Shimla, and Shillong.

RBI categorises bank holidays into three sections namely -- 1) Holiday under the Negotiable Instruments Act; Holiday under the Negotiable Instruments Act and Real Time Gross Settlement Holidays; and Banks' Closing of Accounts.

The Republic Day holiday is under RBI's Negotiable Instruments Act.

Apart from this, banks will be closed on Saturday, January 27, as it is the fourth Saturday of the month. While Sunday, January 28, is a holiday by default.

Generally, banks work the first and third Saturdays of a month, while they have holidays on the Second and Fourth Saturdays along with All Sundays. This excludes the holidays due to festivals and occasions.

Digitalisation has made it very easy to carry out banking transactions through mobile phones, ATMs, and the Internet. However, there are still several reasons to visit banks' branches such as transactions related to high amounts beyond maximum limits, foreign exchange transactions, queries and procedures related to accounts in other banks, loan closure or payments, and guidance or help related to bank accounts among others.

As per the Circular of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, central government organisations which include industrial, commercial and trading establishments would observe up to 16 holidays in a year including three national holidays namely Republic Day, Independence Day, and Mahatma Gandhi's birthday as compulsory holidays. The remaining holidays or occasions may be determined by such establishments or organisations themselves for the year 2024.