Ram Temple inauguration: Half-day in all central govt. offices on Jan 22

Guwahati: All the central government offices will be closed for half-day on January 22 on the occasion of the consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Union minister Jitendra Singh said on Thursday.

The Central Government has issued a notice which mentions half-day closing till 2:30 pm on 22nd January 2024, at all Central Government offices, Central institutions and Central industrial establishments throughout India on the occasion of the Ram Temple Pranpratishtha ceremony.

“The Ram Lalla Pran Pratishtha at Ayodhya will be celebrated on 22nd January 2024 across India. To enable employees to participate in the celebrations, it has been decided that all central government offices, central institutions and central industrial establishments throughout India will be closed for half day till 1430 hours on 22nd January 2024,” the order issued to all central government ministries/ departments reads.

At 12.30 pm on January 22, the pran-pratishtha ceremony of the Ram Temple will take place in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several other dignitaries from all walks of life.

The ceremonies have already begun at the Ayodhya temple complex on January 16, seven days before the D-day. Specific rituals are being performed every day ahead of the pran-pratishtha.

The Bar Council of India on Wednesday wrote a letter to Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and requested him to grant a holiday on January 22.

“As you are aware, the inauguration of the Shri Ram Mandir in Ayodhya is scheduled for January 22, 2024. This event holds immense religious, historical, and cultural significance for millions of people across the country, marking the realization of a long-awaited dream and the culmination of legal proceedings that have been pivotal in defining the nation's structure,” Bar Council of India chairman Manan Kumar Mishra wrote in his letter.