The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed a penalty of Rs 3 lakh on Vision IAS for deceptive advertising regarding its students’ success in the Civil Services Examination (CSE). The penalty follows an investigation that revealed the institute’s misleading promotion of its success rates.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Vision IAS was found to have deliberately withheld crucial course information, creating a false impression about the success of its students in the UPSC exams. The advertisement in question claimed, “10 in Top 10 selections in CSE 2020 from various programs of Vision IAS,” accompanied by pictures of successful candidates.
However, the institute’s selective presentation of the facts was misleading. Vision IAS emphasized only the first-ranked student’s foundation course, while failing to disclose the specific courses undertaken by the other nine successful candidates. In reality, of the remaining nine candidates, one enrolled in the foundation course, six used test series for the preliminary and mains stages, and two opted for the Abhyaas test series.
This selective disclosure led to the false implication that all the top 10 candidates followed the same course path, which was not the case. The cost of courses ranged from Rs 750 for a mock test to Rs 1,40,000 for a full foundation course.
CCAP’s action
The CCPA stressed the importance of providing complete and transparent course information to help consumers make informed decisions, particularly young and impressionable aspirants seeking coaching for competitive exams.
In addition to the penalty, the CCPA has taken action against other coaching institutes as well. So far, 46 notices have been issued to various institutes for misleading advertisements and unfair trade practices. A total penalty of Rs 74.60 lakh has been imposed on 23 institutes, with directives to cease misleading advertising practices.
(With PTI Inputs)