Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Dec 25: The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed a fine of Rs 11 lac on coaching institute Vision IAS for publishing misleading advertisements about the performance of its students in the UPSC Civil Services Examination, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution said on Thursday. This marks the first time a penalty has been levied for a repeat offence under the Consumer Protection Act.
In its order, the CCPA, which officially lists the institute as AjayVision Education Private Limited, found that Vision IAS exaggerated its role in the success of UPSC toppers, giving aspirants the impression that all top-ranking candidates had enrolled in its expensive foundation courses costing several lakhs.
The institute had advertised claims such as “7 in Top 10 and 79 in Top 100 selections in CSE 2023” and “39 in Top 50 selections in CSE 2022,” prominently displaying photographs, names, and ranks of successful candidates.
However, the authority’s investigation revealed that out of more than 119 candidates highlighted by Vision IAS for CSE 2022 and 2023, only three had actually joined the institute’s foundation courses. The remaining 116 students had only availed limited services like preliminary or mains test series, one-time Abhyaas tests, or mock interview programmes.
While Vision IAS had clearly mentioned that Shubham Kumar, who secured AIR 1 in UPSC CSE 2020, was a classroom student of its GS Foundation Batch, it failed to provide similar clarity for other featured candidates. The CCPA said this selective disclosure created a false impression that all toppers had enrolled in the premium course.
Noting the repeated nature of the offence, the authority treated it as a subsequent violation, warranting a higher penalty to safeguard consumers. It highlighted that such misleading advertising can influence aspirants and parents into believing the institute played a decisive role in candidates’ success.
The CCPA has so far issued 57 notices to coaching centres for misleading claims and unfair trade practices, imposing fines totaling Rs 1.09 crore on 28 institutes and directing them to stop making false representations.