CCPA fines Vision IAS Rs 11 lakh for misleading claims on UPSC results
NEW DELHI: The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed a penalty of 11 lakh on civil services coaching institute Vision IAS for publishing misleading advertisements related to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination (CSE) results for 2022 and 2023. According to the CCPA, Vision IAS, operated by AjayVision Education Private Limited, published misleading information on its official website regarding the performance of candidates in the UPSC examinations, in violation of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. The Authority found that the institute intentionally concealed material information about the specific courses or services availed by successful candidates, thereby creating a false impression that they were enrolled in a general foundation programme. The CCPA noted that Vision IAS made prominent claims such as 7 in Top 10 & 79 in Top 100 selections in CSE 2023 and 39 in Top 50 selections in CSE 2022, while displaying the names, photographs and ranks of successful candidates. Upon examination, the Authority observed that while Vision IAS clearly disclosed the course taken by Shubham Kumar (AIR 1, UPSC CSE 2020) as the GS Foundation Batch (Classroom Student), it deliberately concealed similar information for other candidates featured alongside him on the same webpage. This omission created the misleading impression that all those candidates were enrolled in the GS Foundation Batch Classroom Course, which was not the case. The CCPA further observed that the advertisement prominently promoted the institutes Foundation Course, for which fees run into several lakhs of rupees. In its detailed findings, the Authority highlighted a significant disparity between the claims made and the actual enrolments. Of the more than 119 successful candidates advertised for the relevant years, only three had enrolled in foundation courses, while the remaining 116 had opted for services such as test series for the Preliminary and Mains examinations. According to the Department of Consumer Affairs, such conduct allegedly induced students to enrol in the institutes programmes based on false, exaggerated and unverified claims. The CCPA concluded that Vision IAS had intentionally concealed information regarding successful candidates in order to mislead prospective students. The Authority held that the advertisements violated Section 2(28) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, which defines misleading advertisements. Earlier, the CCPA had imposed penalties on other well-known coaching institutes, including Drishti IAS and Shubhra Ranjan IAS, for similar violations. So far, the CCPA has issued 57 notices to coaching institutes for misleading advertisements and unfair trade practices. It has imposed penalties totalling 1,09,60,000 on 28 institutes, along with directions to stop making misleading claims. The Authority has emphasised that all coaching institutes must ensure truthful and transparent disclosure in their advertisements so that students are able to make fair and informed academic decisions.
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