CCPA Fines 3 Coaching Institutes For Misleading UPSC Success Rate Claims – News18

Last Updated:December 26, 2024, 15:23 IST

Vajirao & Reddy, StudyIQ fined Rs 7 lakh each, Edge IAS Rs 1 lakh for false claims in UPSC exam results, says official statement.

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has fined three coaching institutes a total of Rs 15 lakh for spreading misleading advertisements about their success rates in civil services exams, the government announced on Thursday.

Vajirao & Reddy Institute and StudyIQ IAS were each fined Rs 7 lakh, while Edge IAS was penalised Rs 1 lakh for making false claims about their results in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examinations of 2022 and 2023, according to an official statement.

The CCPA, headed by Chief Commissioner Nidhi Khare, found that these institutes had misled the public by not revealing that most of their successful candidates had only enrolled in Interview Guidance Programs. This gave a false impression about the effectiveness of their other courses.

Vajirao & Reddy Institute claimed “617 selections out of 933″ in the 2022 exam, while StudyIQ IAS advertised “120+ selections” in 2023.

Investigations revealed that most successful candidates at both institutes had only taken interview preparation courses.

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StudyIQ IAS also failed to prove its “Success Pakka Offer” and “Selection Pakka Offer” claims, as it could not provide enrolment forms and fee receipts for the claimed successful candidates. The institute advertised over 60 courses but did not mention that its Interview Guidance Program, which many successful candidates took, was not part of the listed courses.

The CCPA has sent 45 notices to coaching institutes for making misleading advertisements and has imposed penalties amounting to Rs 71.6 lakh from 22 institutes so far.

Under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, advertisements that hide important details intentionally are considered misleading and can result in penalties.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)