SBI was fined ~Rs85,000 for misinterpreting Kannada digit on the check

9 Sep 2022 , 08:26 AM

Rs85,177 fine will be paid by a State Bank of India (SBI) branch in Haliyal, Karnataka for dishonoring a check because they failed to correctly identify a Kannada numeral on it.

On September 3, 2020, Vadirajacharya Inamdar sent an SBI check for Rs6,000 to Hubli Electricity Supply Company Limited (HESCOM) in payment for his electricity bill. The check was forwarded to the SBI branch for clearing because HESCOM’s account is with Canara Bank.

The SBI branch mistook the Kannada number nine for six and refused to honor the check. The bank misread the number nine as six for June even though it said September.

English lecturer Inamdar from Hubballi’s Government PU College approached the Consumer Forum with his grievance. The SBI was penalized by the Dharwad District Consumer Grievances Redressal Forum for providing subpar service.

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