Byju’s penalized over IAS ads, set to appeal
₹10 lakh on edtech platform Byju’s for publishing allegedly false and misleading advertisements for its online IAS (Indian Administrative Service) coaching offering. CCPA had taken suo moto cognisance of the issue in 2022 and sent a show-cause notice to Byju’s on 24 August that year. The authority’s order of 23 November says that Think & Learn Pvt.
Ltd, which offers IAS preparation under the Byju’s brand, failed to produce evidence justifying its claims of progressive increase in selection of candidates in UPSC civil services examinations (CSE), from 62 in 2013 to 295 in 2020. In the order, the CCPA has directed the company to submit ₹10 lakh as penalty and a compliance report within 15 days of the order. The company has also been directed to stop the advertisements.
Byju’s disagreed with the order. In response to a query, its spokesperson said, “We note that CCPA has levied fines on numerous education/ed-tech institutions in this matter. We respectfully disagree with the findings in the order and intend to appeal the same as we believe that the advertisements are not misleading." “We will look to substantiate this with relevant evidence before the appellate authority," the spokesperson added.
The appellate authority in this case is the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC). Queries sent to CCPA remained unanswered till press time. CCPA’s order, a copy of which has been reviewed by Mint, was passed after a virtual hearing, where representatives of Byju’s said the institute provides some free-of-cost courses, including interview guidance and personality test for IAS.
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