25 January
Founding of the Election Commission
Observed since 2011 on the day the Election Commission of India was set up (25 January 1950), to encourage voter enrolment, especially of young voters.
26 January
The Constitution comes into force
The Constitution came into force on 26 January 1950, the anniversary of the Purna Swaraj Day of 1930, and India became a republic.
20 February
A UN observance
Declared by the UN General Assembly in 2007 and first observed in 2009, it promotes efforts to tackle poverty, exclusion, unemployment and inequality.
8 March
Equality and rights
Observed worldwide to celebrate women's achievements and campaign for gender equality; the UN began marking it in 1975.
15 March
Kennedy's consumer rights speech
Marks the day in 1962 when US President John F. Kennedy set out four basic consumer rights in a message to Congress. India separately observes National Consumer Day on 24 December.
21 March
Sharpeville
Commemorates the Sharpeville massacre of 21 March 1960 in South Africa, when police killed 69 people protesting against apartheid pass laws.
23 March
Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru
Marks the execution of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru in Lahore jail on 23 March 1931 after the Lahore Conspiracy Case. (30 January, the day of Gandhi's assassination, is also observed as Martyrs' Day.)
14 April
Birth anniversary of Dr B.R. Ambedkar
Celebrates the birth of Dr Ambedkar (14 April 1891, Mhow), the chief architect of the Constitution. It is a public holiday in much of India.
24 April
The 73rd Amendment
Marks the coming into force of the 73rd Constitutional Amendment on 24 April 1993, which gave constitutional status to panchayats.
26 April
WIPO Convention
Marks the date on which the Convention establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization entered into force in 1970.
3 May
Windhoek Declaration
Proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1993, it marks the anniversary of the Windhoek Declaration (1991) on a free and pluralistic press.
5 June
Stockholm, 1972
Marks the opening of the UN Conference on the Human Environment at Stockholm on 5 June 1972, which inspired India's 42nd Amendment environmental provisions and later environmental laws.
12 June
An ILO observance
Launched by the International Labour Organization in 2002 to highlight the plight of child workers.
25 June
The Emergency
Notified in 2024 to mark the proclamation of the Emergency on 25 June 1975.
26 June
Two UN observances
26 June is both the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking and the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture (marking the entry into force of the UN Convention against Torture in 1987). India has signed but not ratified the Convention against Torture.
17 July
The Rome Statute
Marks the adoption of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court on 17 July 1998.
30 July
A UN observance
Designated by the UN General Assembly in 2013 to raise awareness of human trafficking.
9 August
A UN observance
Marks the first meeting of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations in 1982.
31 August
Denotified tribes
Marks the repeal of the Criminal Tribes Act with effect from 31 August 1952, which "denotified" the communities branded under it.
14 September
The official language
Marks the day in 1949 when the Constituent Assembly adopted Hindi in the Devanagari script as the official language of the Union.
15 September
A UN observance
Established by the UN General Assembly in 2007 to promote the principles of democracy.
16 September
The Montreal Protocol
Marks the signing of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer on 16 September 1987, often cited as the most successful environmental treaty.
28 September
The right to know
Proclaimed by UNESCO in 2015 and by the UN General Assembly in 2019; it is often linked in India to the RTI Act 2005.
2 October
Gandhi's birthday
Gandhi's birthday (2 October 1869) is a national holiday and, since 2007, the UN's International Day of Non-Violence.
24 October
The Charter in force
Marks the entry into force of the UN Charter on 24 October 1945.
9 November
The Legal Services Authorities Act
Marks the coming into force of the Legal Services Authorities Act on 9 November 1995. Legal aid awareness camps are held across the country.
20 November
The Convention on the Rights of the Child
Marks the adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child (1959) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) by the UN General Assembly on 20 November.
25 November
The Mirabal sisters
Commemorates the Mirabal sisters, political activists murdered in the Dominican Republic on 25 November 1960, and begins the "16 Days of Activism" that end on Human Rights Day.
26 November
Also National Law Day
The Constitution was adopted on 26 November 1949. The Supreme Court Bar Association began observing the day as National Law Day in 1979; since 2015 the Government of India has observed it as Constitution Day (Samvidhan Divas), with readings of the Preamble.
3 December
Rajendra Prasad's birthday
Observed on the birthday of Dr Rajendra Prasad (3 December 1884), the first President of India and a distinguished lawyer. 3 December is also the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
9 December
UNCAC
Marks the signing of the UN Convention against Corruption in December 2003. India ratified the Convention in 2011.
10 December
The UDHR
Marks the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the UN General Assembly on 10 December 1948.
18 December
Rights of minorities
Observed in India on the anniversary of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Persons belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities (18 December 1992).
24 December
The Consumer Protection Act
Marks the day the Consumer Protection Act 1986 received the President's assent (24 December 1986).
24 January
Awareness of the rights of the girl child in India
Observed since 2008 by the Ministry of Women and Child Development; laws such as the PCPNDT Act and the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act are central to its message.
27 January
The anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz
Designated by the UN General Assembly in 2005 to remember the victims of the Holocaust, the crime that led to the Genocide Convention.
6 February
A UN day against FGM
A petition challenging the practice of khatna among the Dawoodi Bohra community was referred to the larger bench examining religious freedom.
3 March
Marks the signing of CITES
CITES was signed on 3 March 1973; the UN proclaimed the day in 2013.
10 March
Celebrates women in the judiciary
Proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 2021 and first observed in 2022.
24 March
Honours victims of gross human rights violations
The date marks the assassination of Archbishop Óscar Romero of El Salvador in 1980.
22 April
A global day for environmental protection
First observed in 1970; the Paris Agreement was opened for signature on Earth Day 2016.
28 April
Promotes the prevention of occupational accidents and diseases
Observed by the International Labour Organization since 2003 to promote safe and healthy work.
1 May
May Day, celebrating labour
Commemorates the struggle for the eight-hour working day; first celebrated in India in Madras in 1923.
17 May
Marks the WHO's removal of homosexuality from its list of mental disorders
The WHO decision came on 17 May 1990; India decriminalised consensual same-sex relations in 2018.
21 May
The anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi's assassination
Observed in India since 1991, the year Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated at Sriperumbudur.
20 June
Honours refugees around the world
Chosen to coincide with Africa Refugee Day and first observed globally in 2001, the 50th anniversary of the Refugee Convention.
18 July
Mandela's birthday
Declared by the UN in 2009 to honour the lawyer who became South Africa's first democratically elected President.
30 August
Remembers those who have disappeared at the hands of states
The International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance came into force in 2010; India has signed but not ratified it.
21 September
A UN day of ceasefire and non-violence
Established by the UN General Assembly in 1981 and fixed on 21 September from 2002.
10 October
Campaigns for abolition of capital punishment
Launched in 2003 by the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty.
11 October
Recognises the rights of girls worldwide
First observed in 2012 after a UN General Assembly resolution.
12 October
The founding of the National Human Rights Commission
The NHRC was set up on 12 October 1993 under the Protection of Human Rights Ordinance, later the 1993 Act.
31 October
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's birth anniversary
Honours the barrister and statesman who led the integration of the princely states; observed since 2014.
Week of 31 October
Promotes integrity in public life
Organised by the Central Vigilance Commission in the week that includes Sardar Patel's birthday.
11 November
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad's birth anniversary
Honours independent India's first Education Minister; observed since 2008.
15 November
Birsa Munda's birth anniversary
Declared in 2021 to honour the contributions of tribal freedom fighters.
16 November
The day the Press Council of India began work
The Press Council started functioning on 16 November 1966.
2 December
Marks the adoption of the 1949 trafficking convention
The UN Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others was adopted on 2 December 1949.
3 December
Promotes the rights of persons with disabilities
Proclaimed by the UN in 1992; in India the same day is also Advocates' Day.
6 December
Dr B.R. Ambedkar's death anniversary
Ambedkar died on 6 December 1956 in Delhi; lakhs gather at Chaitya Bhoomi in Mumbai every year.
18 December
Marks the adoption of the Migrant Workers Convention
The International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers was adopted on 18 December 1990.
25 December
Atal Bihari Vajpayee's birth anniversary
Observed since 2014 to promote accountability in government.
