CCPA penalizes Vajirao & Reddy Institute for misleading advertisements, first case since new IAS coaching guidelines
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. New Delhi: The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has fined two IAS coaching centres a total of ₹9 lakh for issuing misleading advertisements related to the results of the UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2022, two people said. It fined Vajirao & Reddy Institute ₹7 lakh and Shubhra Ranjan IAS Study ₹2 lakh.
The former said it will appeal the order – the first penalty imposed by the regulator since issuing final guidelines for misleading advertisements by IAS coaching centres on 13 November. According to the CCPA order, seen by Mint, the coaching centre claimed that 617 out of 933 successful candidates in UPSC CSE 2022 were associated with its programmes and that it held the top position among all UPSC coaching centres in India. However, a CCPA investigation revealed that all 617 candidates mentioned were only enrolled in the institute's free interview guidance programme and not in its full coaching services.
“The CCPA found these claims to be misleading and a violation of consumer protection laws," the first person said. This penalty serves as a warning against deceptive advertising practices in the competitive coaching industry. As of now, the CCPA has imposed penalties on over 15 IAS coaching institutes, totaling over ₹50 lakh.
In response to an emailed query, Vajirao & Reddy Institute confirmed that it had received the CCPA order on 27 November. “As per Section 24 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, we have the right to appeal against the order before the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, New Delhi. Our legal counsel is in the process of challenging the order because, in our opinion, it is incorrect and has ignored over 600 pages of voluminous
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