PIB Fact Check marks the purported bank-holiday Gazette as fake. Graphic: PIB Fact Check/X.
Bengaluru: An official-looking Gazette claiming that every Saturday has been declared a public holiday for State Bank of India and other public sector banks is fake, PIB Fact Check has clarified. It said the Ministry of Finance has issued no such notification.
The document circulating on social media is presented as a notification from the Finance Ministry’s Department of Financial Services. It claims the change applies to all public sector banks, including SBI, with immediate effect.
PIB’s clarification directly rejects that document and its purported announcement. The circulating Gazette should therefore not be treated as confirmation of a new all-Saturday holiday schedule for public sector banks.
An official-looking document, but no such notification
The graphic shared by PIB Fact Check reproduces the purported Gazette with a prominent red “FAKE” stamp. The document carries the heading “The Gazette of India”, a September 30, 2026 date and a Ministry of Finance notification heading.
Those features are part of the document PIB has identified as fake; they do not establish that the claimed holiday decision is an authentic government order.
In its October 1 post, PIB Fact Check said no notification declaring every Saturday a public holiday for public sector banks had been issued by the Finance Ministry. Its denial specifically concerns the document being circulated and the holiday announcement it purports to make.
What customers should take from the clarification
The viral document is not a valid basis for assuming that an SBI or other public sector bank branch will remain closed every Saturday. Customers planning a branch visit should check their bank’s official information rather than rely on the circulating image.
The PIB post does not announce a fresh holiday schedule or set a date for any future change. Reporting the fake Gazette as an approved change would misrepresent the clarification.
How to flag suspicious government claims
PIB Fact Check has asked people to flag suspicious content concerning the Central government through WhatsApp at +91 8799711259 or by email at factcheck@pib.gov.in. The post provides these channels alongside its warning about the forged holiday notification.
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