Court overturns California’s Hindu Deepawali holiday
The law did not designate Deepawali as a mandatory paid holiday for everyone. It permitted eligible state employees to take a paid holiday, while giving public schools and community colleges the option of whether or not to grant a holiday for the festival.
LOS ANGELES:- A court in California, USA, has struck down the decision by the state government and legislature to officially recognize Deepawali as a state holiday. This ruling comes less than a year after Governor Gavin Newsom’s order took effect.
The court’s decision focused less on the practical purpose of the holiday and more on the specific language used in the law to describe Diwali’s religious significance.
California became the third U.S. state—following Pennsylvania and Connecticut—to recognize this Hindu festival as a state-level holiday in October 2025. California Governor Gavin Newsom granted it legal recognition by signing a bill introduced by Assemblymember Ash Kalra.
However, the law did not designate Deepawali as a mandatory paid holiday for everyone. It permitted eligible state employees to take a paid holiday, while giving public schools and community colleges the option of whether or not to grant a holiday for the festival.
