All central government offices will be closed till 2.30 pm on January 22, the day of the consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the Union government said in a notification on Thursday.

The Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions said that the decision has been taken to enable employees to participate in the celebrations.

The Ram temple is being built on the site of the razed Babri mosque. The Babri masjid was demolished by Hindutva extremists on December 6, 1992, because they believed that it stood on the spot on which the deity Ram had been born. The incident had triggered communal riots across the country.

On Wednesday, Bar Council of India Chairperson Manan Kumar Mishra also urged Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud to declare a holiday in all courts on January 22 on account of the “cultural and national significance” of the temple’s consecration, reported Live Law.

“I understand the importance of ensuring the continued functioning of the justice system, and therefore, I propose that matters requiring urgent attention can be accommodated through special arrangements or, if necessary, rescheduled for the following working day,” Mishra wrote in a letter to Chandrachud.

Mishra also said in the letter that the Supreme Court’s landmark verdict in November 2019, which paved the way for the construction of the temple, “resonated with the truth and beliefs of the Hindu community”.

The Supreme Court had ruled that the disputed land in Ayodhya would be handed over to a government-run trust for the construction of a Ram temple.

The court had also said that the demolition of Babri Masjid was illegal and directed the government to acquire an alternative plot of land to build a mosque.

Six Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states – Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Chhattisgarh – banned the sale of liquor on the day of the consecration.

In Assam, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that screens would be installed across the state to telecast the event. “On January 21 and 22, the BJP workers will illuminate the market and other areas,” said Sarma.

In Uttarakhand, the Pushkar Singh Dhami government directed officials to distribute prasad in temples and gurdwaras on January 22.

The Uttar Pradesh government shut down all educational institutions in the state on the day of the ceremony. Chief Minister Adityanath directed officials to prepare green corridors from Lucknow, Prayagraj and Gorakhpur to Ayodhya to ensure that vehicles can move smoothly.

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