“Due to the overwhelming sentiment of the employees and requests from them, the central government announces half day closing till 2,30 pm on January 22, 2024, at all central government offices, central institutions and central industrial establishments throughout India on the occasion of Ram Temple ‘Pran Pratishtha, ceremony,” said the official notification.

The state governments in Uttar Pradesh, Goa, and Madhya Pradesh have also announced January 22 as a public holiday to celebrate the inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. School will remain closed in Haryana, which has also prohibited the consumption of liquor on the day of the consecration ceremony.

In Odisha, Leader of Opposition (LoP) and Sambalpur MLA of BJP Jaynarayan Mishra has requested Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to declare a public holiday in the state on the occasion. The state had announced a public holiday on January 17 to mark the inauguration of Srimandir Parikrama Prakalpa, the Rs 800 crore heritage corridor around Puri’s renowned Jagannath Temple.

On the other hand, dry day has been declared in Kendrapada district on January 22 for the Ayodhya event. There was also a ban on sale of liquor in the district on January 17.

Rinku Dugga, a 1994-batch officer, has been retired compulsorily under Fundamental Rules (FR) 56(j), Rule 48 of Central Civil Services (CCS) Pension Rules, 1972 after an assessment of her service record.

The government has the right to retire any government servant “if it is of the opinion that it is in the public interest to do so”.

The Indian Express had reported that athletes at Delhi’s Thyagraj Stadium were forced to finish their training early so that Dugga and her husband Sanjeev Khirwar — also a 1994-batch IAS officer — could bring their dog to the facility for an evening walk.

The report led to widespread outrage from athletes and the public, and the couple was transferred out of Delhi last year.