BSNL Holidays 2026 — Closed & Restricted
Closed Holidays vs Restricted Holidays
Closed (Gazetted) Holidays are compulsory holidays for all central government offices, including BSNL administrative offices. Restricted Holidays (RH) are optional: employees may avail up to 2 restricted holidays per calendar year with prior permission of the controlling officer, selecting from this notified RH list.
Weekly Offs — Administration Department
BSNL employees working in the Administration Department observe: all Sundays and the 2nd Saturday of every month as closed holidays. All other Saturdays are normal working days. This page's Weekly Offs tab lists all 12 second-Saturdays of 2026, and the "Next Day Off" card at the top counts down to the earliest of: closed holiday, 2nd Saturday or Sunday. Operational/field staff working in shifts should follow their roster in addition to this list.
Important Notes
- This list applies to administrative offices located at Delhi / New Delhi. Offices outside Delhi/NCR may substitute up to 3 holidays with locally important occasions (e.g., regional new year, state festivals) as per DoPT guidelines — always confirm with your circle/SSA office circular.
- Dates of Id-ul-Fitr, Id-ul-Zuha, Muharram and Milad-un-Nabi are subject to the appearance of the moon and may shift by a day. The final dates are confirmed through a DoPT press release / office order.
- When a closed holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, it is not shifted and no compensatory off is admissible under normal rules. In 2026, Id-ul-Fitr (Sat, 21 Mar), Independence Day (Sat, 15 Aug) and Diwali (Sun, 8 Nov) fall on weekends.
- Restricted holidays falling on a Sunday, 2nd Saturday or a closed holiday cannot be availed — no substitute day is granted. In 2026, 11 of the 34 listed RHs are so affected (each flagged ⚠ on its card). Note: Hazrat Ali's Birthday appears twice (3 Jan and 23 Dec) because the corresponding Islamic date falls twice within calendar year 2026. Choose your 2 RHs wisely.
- Restricted holidays cannot be carried forward to the next year.
Saka Calendar
The official holiday notification also mentions the corresponding date in the Indian national (Saka) calendar. Holidays of January to mid-March 2026 fall in Saka Era 1947; from late March onward, dates fall in Saka Era 1948 — exactly as shown on each card.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
A closed holiday (gazetted holiday) is compulsory for all offices — the office remains closed for everyone. A restricted holiday is optional: the office stays open, but individual employees can take the day off, subject to the office remaining functional and prior approval from their controlling officer.
Yes. Employees working in the Administration Department observe all Sundays and the 2nd Saturday of every month as closed days. All other Saturdays are working days. The Weekly Offs tab lists all 12 second-Saturdays of 2026, and the top card counts down to the next off day of any type. Field and operational staff on shift rosters follow their own duty schedules.
Two restricted holidays per calendar year, as per DoPT rules. They cannot be carried forward to the next year and must be chosen from the notified RH list, with prior permission of the controlling officer.
Then it cannot be availed as an extra off, and no substitute is granted. In 2026: Guru Ravidas's Birthday (1 Feb), Maha Shivratri (15 Feb), Easter (5 Apr), Dussehra Saptami (18 Oct) and Chhat Puja (15 Nov) fall on Sundays; Tagore's Birthday (9 May) falls on the 2nd Saturday; and Parsi New Year (15 Aug), Onam (26 Aug), Dussehra Mahanavmi (20 Oct), Naraka Chaturdasi (8 Nov) and Guru Teg Bahadur's Martyrdom Day (24 Nov) coincide with closed holidays. This page flags all such entries with a ⚠ chip — plan your 2 RHs on regular working days instead.
Partially. Offices located outside Delhi/NCR are permitted to substitute up to three holidays from the Delhi list with locally important occasions (such as regional new years or state festivals). Your circle office issues the final localised list each year — always follow your circle/SSA circular for exact local holidays.
The holiday is not shifted to another day, and generally no compensatory off is granted. In 2026, three closed holidays fall on weekends: Id-ul-Fitr (Saturday, 21 March), Independence Day (Saturday, 15 August) and Diwali (Sunday, 8 November).
They are tentative until confirmed. Id-ul-Fitr, Id-ul-Zuha, Muharram and Milad-un-Nabi depend on the sighting of the moon, so the actual date may move by one day. DoPT issues a press note confirming the exact date when the moon is sighted.
Tap the "Add to Calendar" button on any card — closed holidays, restricted holidays and 2nd Saturdays all support it. It downloads a small calendar (.ics) file; open it on your phone or computer and the day is added as an all-day event. The file is generated on your device; nothing is uploaded anywhere.
Yes — many employees combine casual leave, restricted holidays and weekly offs for longer breaks. Note that combining CL with the day before/after a closed holiday may require prior sanction in some circles, and leave rules cap how often CL can adjoin holidays. Check your office leave rules while planning.
This page reproduces the DoPT holiday and restricted-holiday lists for 2026 for administrative offices at Delhi/New Delhi as reference material. For leave purposes, always rely on the official DoPT orders and the holiday circular issued by your BSNL circle office, which prevails in case of any difference.