The Supreme Court of India on Tuesday dismissed a petition seeking to declare the birth anniversary of Guru Govind Singh, the 10th Sikh Guru, as a national gazetted holiday. The plea also called for the central government to establish specific guidelines for the declaration of public holidays across the country.
A bench comprising Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta declined to entertain the petition filed by the All India Shiromani Singh Sabha. “Dismissed. Detailed order will come,” the bench noted during the brief hearing.
Seeking Uniformity in Holiday Declarations
The petitioner organization, represented by senior advocate Vikas Singh, argued that the current system for declaring public holidays lacks a standardized policy. Singh submitted that there should be “some certainty” regarding the criteria used to decide which days are marked as gazetted holidays.
The petition specifically sought directions for the Centre to declare the Prakash Parv of Guru Govind Singh as a public holiday to be observed throughout India. The plea emphasized that such a holiday should particularly be observed in states and Union Territories with significant Sikh populations, as well as in regions historically connected to the life and activities of the 10th Guru.
Concerns Over “Political Whims”
In its legal challenge, the All India Shiromani Singh Sabha highlighted what it described as a lack of guiding principles for holiday declarations. The plea alleged that in the absence of a formal framework, the executive branch often declares holidays at its “whims and fancies.”
The petitioner further contended that these decisions are sometimes driven by “political groups who are in government” to serve “the political purpose of appeasement of a particular section of the public.” By seeking a judicial intervention, the organization aimed to move the process toward a more structured and objective system.
The Supreme Court, however, remained unpersuaded by the arguments for judicial interference in what is traditionally an executive policy decision.
