Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court will remain closed on Ram Navami next year. However, there is no mention of May Day. The holiday roster for 2025 stated: "Public holidays on account of Republic Day (Jan 26) and Ram Navami (April 6) fall on Sunday."
According to advocates, this is not the first time that Ram Navami will be observed as a holiday by the high court. Even though it was not part of the official holiday list this year, on representation by the Bar, April 17, 2024, it was declared a holiday by a notice dated April 15, 2024. "May Day has not been sacrificed for Ram Navami. This year, too, the Bar gave a representation to the Chief Justice seeking a Ram Navami holiday, which was granted. But we had to work an extra day — on a Saturday," Paritosh Sinha, secretary of the Incorporated Law Society, told TOI.
The Bar Association proposed that Ram Navami (April 7, 2025) and May Day (May 1, 2025) be added to the HC holiday calendar. High Court Bar Association Secretary Shankar Prasad Dalapaty told TOI: "There was a holiday on account of Ram Navami some time back. The committee of HC Bar Association took a resolution for Ram Navami and May Day to be declared as holidays. But the Court administration accepted Ram Navami and rejected the May Day proposal. This is a high court decision, we welcome it."
While advocates have supported this move, many of them have also questioned why May Day was not declared a holiday. Advocate Firdous Shamim said: "I do not have a problem with them giving a holiday on Ram Navami, but the judiciary ought to have considered the holiday for May Day as well." According to the holiday list published by the Calcutta High Court, May Day was part of the official list till 2017.
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