New Delhi, Oct 3 The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed a penalty of Rs 5 lakh on Drishti IAS (VDK Eduventures) for publishing misleading advertisements regarding the results of the UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2022, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution said on Friday.
The CCPA found that while Drishti IAS, in its advertisement, prominently claimed “216+ selections in UPSC CSE 2022”, it was misleading and concealed crucial information regarding the type and duration of courses opted for by these candidates.
“The investigation revealed that out of the 216 candidates claimed by Drishti IAS, as many as 162 candidates (75 per cent) had only taken the free Interview Guidance Programme (IGP) of the Institute, after independently clearing the Preliminary and Mains stages of UPSC CSE. Only 54 students were enrolled in IGP+ other courses,” the Ministry said.
“This deliberate concealment of important information misled aspirants and parents into believing that Drishti IAS was responsible for their success in all stages of UPSC examination, which is a misleading advertisement under Section 2(28) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019,” it added.
Further, the CCPA noted that this is the second penalty imposed on Drishti IAS for similar conduct in September 2024. The CCPA had then imposed a penalty of Rs 3 lakh and directed the company to discontinue the misleading advertisement.
Despite being penalised and cautioned earlier, Drishti IAS once again indulged in the same practice, thereby showing repeated non-compliance and disregard for consumer protection norms.
"The concealment of such crucial information deprived prospective students and parents of their right to make an informed choice under Section 2(9) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. Such advertisements create false expectations and unfairly influence consumer decisions, particularly when large claims are made without transparent disclosure of facts," the Ministry said.
So far, the CCPA has issued 54 notices to various coaching institutes for misleading advertisements and unfair trade practices. Penalties amounting to over Rs 90.6 lakh have been imposed on 26 coaching institutes, along with directions to discontinue such misleading claims.
The CCPA noted that all such institutes concealed important information regarding courses opted by successful candidates in their advertisement, which amounts to misleading advertisement under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
The regulator has emphasised that all coaching institutes must strictly ensure truthful disclosure of information in their advertisements so that students can make fair and informed decisions regarding their academic choices.
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