Government employees, educators, and millions of students across Uttar Pradesh have an important update to note in their academic and administrative calendars following a fresh directive issued by the state government on Thursday, November 12, 2026. The Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh administration has officially revised the date of the state-wide public holiday commemorating Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji’s Martyrdom Day (Shaheedi Diwas). Instead of Tuesday, November 24, 2026, as originally listed in the annual calendar, the public holiday across Uttar Pradesh will now be observed on Monday, December 14, 2026. Under the terms of the newly issued government order, all state government offices, administrative departments, and schools and colleges from Lucknow, Kanpur, and Prayagraj to Varanasi, Agra, Meerut, and Noida will remain closed on December 14. At the same time, officials clarified that this adjustment applies strictly to Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji’s Martyrdom Day, leaving the remainder of Uttar Pradesh’s 2026 holiday schedule—including the scheduled gazetted closure on November 24 for Guru Nanak Jayanti and Kartik Purnima—completely unchanged.

Official UP Government Order Shifts Holiday From November 24 to December 14

The formal notification revising the holiday schedule was released on November 12, 2026, by the General Administration Department (Samanya Prashasan Anubhag) of the Uttar Pradesh government in Lucknow, under the signature of Principal Secretary S.V.S. Ranga Rao. When the state government originally published its annual holiday calendar for the year 2026 on November 17, 2025, Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji’s Martyrdom Day had been designated as a holiday under executive order for Tuesday, November 24, 2026. However, aligning the state’s official observance with the traditional Nanakshahi calendar date followed across northern India—and avoiding an overlap with November 24, which already marks a gazetted public holiday across Uttar Pradesh for Guru Nanak Jayanti and the sacred Kartik Purnima bath—the state administration decided to move the executive holiday to mid-December.

According to the official release, the original notification dated November 17, 2025, shall be deemed amended strictly to the extent of shifting Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji’s Martyrdom Day from November 24 to Monday, December 14, 2026. All other gazetted and restricted holidays notified for calendar year 2026 will remain valid and enforceable exactly as previously announced. District Magistrates, divisional commissioners, heads of departments, and educational authorities across all 75 districts have been instructed to update their institutional calendars immediately so that staff and students receive timely notice.

What Remains Closed on December 14 Across Uttar Pradesh's 75 Districts

Because December 14, 2026, falls on a Monday, the revised notification effectively creates an extended three-day weekend in mid-December for state government employees, faculty members, and students across Uttar Pradesh. On Monday, December 14, all state government secretariats in Lucknow, district collectorates, tehsil and block development offices, municipal corporations, and state-run boards and corporations will remain closed in observance of the executive holiday. Similarly, all government, government-aided, and state-affiliated primary, secondary, and higher educational institutions—including schools, degree colleges, and state universities—will observe a holiday on December 14.

Citizens planning routine administrative work, land registry appointments, or public-dealing visits at government offices in major urban centers such as Lucknow, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Gorakhpur, Bareilly, and Jhansi are advised to schedule their visits accordingly. Essential public utilities, emergency healthcare services at government hospitals, fire services, and law enforcement units will continue operating on standard holiday duty rosters to ensure uninterrupted public convenience. Meanwhile, November 24, 2026, will continue to be observed as a full gazetted holiday across Uttar Pradesh on account of Guru Nanak Jayanti and Kartik Purnima.

Honoring Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji's Supreme Sacrifice and Legacy

Beyond its administrative significance, moving the public holiday to December 14 carries deep cultural and spiritual resonance for communities across Uttar Pradesh. Revered across India and the world as Hind Di Chadar (the Shield of India), Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji—the ninth Guru of Sikhism—sacrificed his life in 1675 in Delhi to defend religious freedom, human dignity, and the fundamental right of conscience against imperial persecution. His fearless stand remains one of the defining chapters of India’s civilizational heritage, inspiring generations across faiths to uphold truth, compassion, and courage in the face of injustice.

Across Uttar Pradesh—particularly in cities with historic Sikh shrines and vibrant congregations such as Lucknow, Prayagraj, Varanasi, Agra, Kanpur, Bareilly, and Lakhimpur Kheri—Gurdwaras and social organizations mark Shaheedi Diwas with solemn Akhand Path recitations, soulful Shabad Kirtan, community Ardas, and selfless Guru Ka Langar service. Observing the state holiday on December 14 enables devotees, families, and school students across the state to participate wholeheartedly in commemorative prayers and educational programs honoring Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji’s life and teachings.

Earlier Public Holiday Announcement on Maharishi Valmiki Jayanti in UP

Thursday’s revision follows another notable cultural holiday decision taken earlier in the season by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s administration. Ahead of Maharishi Valmiki Jayanti on October 26, 2026, the Uttar Pradesh government upgraded the occasion from a restricted (optional) holiday to a full state-wide public holiday, ordering the closure of all state government offices and educational institutions across Uttar Pradesh. While Maharishi Valmiki Jayanti had appeared as a restricted category observance in earlier drafts, the Chief Minister’s directive ensured uniform participation across every district in the state.

On Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s specific instructions, elaborate devotional and cultural programs were organized at Maharishi Valmiki temples and prominent heritage sites associated with the Ramayana across all 75 districts, tehsils, and development blocks of Uttar Pradesh. At venues spanning urban centers and rural blocks alike, authorities and local committees hosted traditional worship, sacred havan rituals, evening lamp lighting (Deep Prajwalan), Ramayana recitations, devotional bhajans, and cultural presentations highlighting the Luv-Kush episode. The Chief Minister had personally directed district administrations to guarantee spotless cleanliness, safe drinking water, reliable sound and lighting, and robust security at every venue so that Maharishi Valmiki’s timeless message of human sensitivity, social harmony, and national unity reached citizens across every corner of Uttar Pradesh. Together, both holiday directives reflect the state government’s ongoing effort to align official calendars with revered cultural and spiritual milestones.