A State Bank of India (SBI) branch has been fined Rs 85,177 by a consumer forum in Karnataka for dishonouring a cheque after failing to recognise a Kannada numeral on it.

The Dharwad District Consumer Grievances Redressal Forum imposed the fine on SBI’s Haliyal branch in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka.

When the bank rejected his cheque in 2020 and fined him Rs 177, Vadirajacharya Inamdar, an English lecturer in a government pre-university college at Hubballi,  approached Dharwad District Consumer Redressal Forum in January this year and filed a complaint.

Forum president Ishappa Bhute, members V A Bolishetti and P C Hiremath, in their order on 7 September 2022, said the bank should pay Rs 85,177 as compensation and fine.

Inamdar had issued an SBI cheque for Rs 6,000 to Hubli Electricity Supply Company Limited (HESCOM) towards his electricity bill on September 3, 2020. HESCOM had its account in Canara Bank and therefore the cheque was sent to the SBI branch at Haliyal.

The cheque was filled in Kannada including the numerals. The SBI branch in Haliyal wrongly identified the Kannada numeral nine as six and dishonoured the cheque. The numeral nine indicated the month of September, but the bank read it as June.