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The CCPA found that the institute, officially registered as Ajayavijan Education Pvt Ltd, deliberately concealed information about which courses successful candidates had actually enrolled for, creating a false impression that all toppers had taken its expensive foundation courses worth lakhs of rupees.
“This is the first case of penalty for a second offence,” CCPA Chief Commissioner and Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare told PTI.
“Despite regulatory intervention and caution, the institute continued to make similar claims in its subsequent advertisements, indicating a lack of due diligence and regulatory compliance.”
The institute’s advertisements prominently claimed “7 in top 10 and 79 in top 100 selection in CSE 2023” and “39 in top 50 selection in CSE 2022”, which included photographs, names and ranks of the successful candidates.
However, CCPA investigation revealed that out of over 119 successful candidates claimed by Vision IAS for UPSC CSE 2022 and 2023, only three had enrolled for the foundation courses. The remaining 116 had opted for services like test series, one-time practice tests and mock interview programs only for preliminary and main examinations.
The authority noted that, while the institute disclosed that Shubham Kumar (AIR 1, UPSC CSE 2020) was admitted to the GS Foundation batch (Classroom Student), it deliberately concealed similar information about other successful candidates appearing with him. This created a misleading impression that all the selected candidates were enrolled in the same premium course.
“Given the recurring nature of the violations, the present example was treated as a subsequent violation, allowing for a higher penalty in the interest of protecting consumers,” the CCPA said in a statement.
The Authority found that the deliberate concealment of material information led candidates and parents to believe that Vision IAS was responsible for the success of the candidates at all stages of the examination, which amounts to a misleading advertisement under Section 2(28) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
CCPA also highlighted that, unlike print media, websites remain globally accessible for extended periods and serve as the primary platform through which aspiring candidates research coaching institutes in the digital age.
The misleading nature of the advertisements was further enhanced by presenting claims without proper authorization or consent of the students.
“In highly competitive examinations like the UPSC Civil Services Examination, where lakhs of candidates invest substantial time, effort and financial resources, such incomplete and selective disclosures mislead students and parents by creating false expectations about the results and the effectiveness of coaching services,” the authority said.
Till now, CCPA has issued 57 notices to various coaching institutes for misleading advertisements and unfair trade practices. overall penalty A fine of Rs 1.09 crore has been imposed on 28 institutions, along with instructions to stop making such misleading claims.
The authority stressed that all coaching institutes should strictly ensure truthful and transparent disclosure of information in their advertisements, so that students can take unbiased and informed academic decisions.