₹11 Lakh Penalty on Vision IAS Over Ads
CCPA finds UPSC result claims misleading, orders institute to ensure transparent disclosures
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 26th Dec: 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 UPSC Civil Services Examination results for 2022 and 2023, in violation of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
The authority found that the institute prominently advertised claims such as “7 in Top 10 & 79 in Top 100 selections in CSE 2023” and “39 in Top 50 selections in CSE 2022” on its official website, featuring names, photographs and ranks of successful candidates.
While the institute disclosed the specific course opted by one topper, it deliberately concealed information regarding the actual courses chosen by most of the other candidates showcased on the same page. This created a misleading impression that all candidates were enrolled in the high-fee foundation classroom programme, which was not the case.
CCPA observed that out of 119+ successful candidates claimed by the institute across 2022 and 2023, only three had enrolled in foundation courses, while the remaining had opted for limited services such as test series, one-time tests and mock interview programmes. The authority said this selective disclosure misled aspirants and parents into believing that Vision IAS was responsible for success across all stages of the examination.
The regulator also noted that Vision IAS had previously faced action for similar violations and continued to publish misleading advertisements despite regulatory warnings, warranting a higher penalty in the present case.
CCPA said it has so far issued 57 notices to coaching institutes for misleading advertisements, imposing penalties of over ₹1.09 crore on 28 institutes, and reiterated that coaching centres must ensure truthful and transparent disclosures to enable aspirants to make informed decisions.
