New Delhi: The Central Consumer Protection Authority, CCPA, has imposed a penalty of ₹11 lakh on Vision IAS, AjayVision Education Private Limited, for publishing misleading advertisements related to the results of the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2022 and 2023. The action has been taken under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
The coaching institute had displayed claims on its official website such as “7 in Top 10 & 79 in Top 100 selections in CSE 2023” and “39 in Top 50 selections in CSE 2022”, along with the names, photographs and ranks of successful candidates.
During scrutiny, the CCPA observed that the institute clearly mentioned the course opted by Shubham Kumar, AIR 1, UPSC CSE 2020, as GS Foundation Batch, Classroom Student. However, it did not disclose the courses taken by other candidates whose names and photographs were shown on the same webpage. This selective disclosure created the impression that all featured candidates were part of the GS Foundation Batch Classroom Course, which was not true.
At the same time, the website prominently promoted the institute’s “Foundation Course”, with fees running into lakhs of rupees. According to the Authority, this presentation had the effect of inducing students to enrol based on inflated and unverified claims about success rates.
The investigation found that Vision IAS claimed more than 119 successful candidates in UPSC CSE 2022 and 2023. In reality, only three of these candidates had enrolled in foundation courses. The remaining 116 had taken services such as Preliminary and Mains test series, Abhyaas one-time tests, or mock interview programmes. By not disclosing this distinction, the institute conveyed that it was responsible for success across all stages of the examination, which the Authority held to be a misleading advertisement under Section 2(28) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
The CCPA also noted that the institute used candidates’ names and photographs to support its claims without proper authorisation or consent, further misleading aspirants. The Authority pointed out that unlike print advertisements, website content has a wider and longer-lasting reach, and is a primary source for aspirants researching coaching institutes in the digital era.
It was also recorded that Vision IAS had faced earlier proceedings for similar violations. Despite regulatory action and warnings, the institute continued to publish comparable claims, showing a lack of compliance. Given the repeated nature of the offence, the case was treated as a subsequent contravention, leading to a higher penalty.
The Authority highlighted that in highly competitive examinations like the UPSC Civil Services Examination, where lakhs of aspirants invest significant time, effort and money, incomplete and selective disclosures can mislead students and parents by creating unrealistic expectations about outcomes and the role of coaching services.
So far, the CCPA has issued 57 notices to coaching institutes for misleading advertisements and unfair trade practices. Penalties amounting to ₹1,09,60,000 have been imposed on 28 institutes, along with directions to discontinue such claims.
The CCPA has reiterated that coaching institutes must ensure truthful and transparent disclosures in their advertisements so that students can make informed academic decisions.
BI Bureau
