‘Seven Thursday’ Cheque Row: Drawing Teacher Suspended; Action Against Principal Under Consideration

The Directorate of Education has suspended a drawing teacher from Sirmaur district after a cheque with bizarre spelling errors went viral, bringing embarrassment to Himachal Pradesh’s education department. Officials said the lapse had “brought disrepute to the state” and reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining “institutional integrity” in schools.

The controversy began at Government Senior Secondary School, Ronhat, where a cheque issued under the Prime Minister’s Poshan Scheme on September 25 for ₹7,616 contained the phrase: “Seven Thursday Six Harendra Sixty Rupees Only.” The error quickly went viral on social media, drawing ridicule and exposing serious administrative negligence.

Confirming the disciplinary action, Rajeev Thakur, Deputy Director (Primary) of Sirmaur, said drawing teacher Attar Singh had admitted in writing that he filled out the cheque “absentmindedly.” Thakur said, “He has accepted in writing that it was a careless mistake which damaged the image of the government and the education department. Consequently, he has been suspended. During his suspension, his headquarters will be at Government Senior Secondary School, Haripurdhar.”

Both the school’s principal, Kuldeep Singh, and Attar Singh were summoned to the Directorate in Shimla to explain the incident. During the personal hearing, Attar admitted to the error, calling it unintentional. However, Director of School Education Ashish Kohli rejected his explanation, terming the act a serious breach of responsibility.

Taking a stern view, the Directorate directed the Deputy Director of Sirmaur to suspend the teacher and initiate disciplinary proceedings under Rule 10 of the Central Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1965.

The Directorate further stated that action is also being considered against Principal Kuldeep Singh, who, as the Drawing and Disbursing Officer (DDO) and supervisory authority, failed to prevent the error.

Director (Primary Education) Ashish Kohli said the department would not tolerate such negligence in the future. “The department is committed to maintaining administrative discipline, financial propriety, and institutional integrity across all educational institutions in the state,” he said. “Strict disciplinary action will be taken against any lapse or act of carelessness that tarnishes the department’s image.”