CCPA slaps ₹11 lakh penalty on Vision IAS for misleading UPSC result advertisements
According to the CCPA, the coaching institute made prominent claims on its official website such as “7 in Top 10 & 79 in Top 100 selections in CSE 2023” and “39 in Top 50 selections in CSE 2022,” accompanied by names, photographs, and ranks of successful candidates.
New Delhi, December 26: 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 results of the UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2022 and 2023, in violation of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
According to the CCPA, the coaching institute made prominent claims on its official website such as “7 in Top 10 & 79 in Top 100 selections in CSE 2023” and “39 in Top 50 selections in CSE 2022,” accompanied by names, photographs, and ranks of successful candidates. While the institute disclosed that Shubham Kumar (AIR 1, UPSC CSE 2020) was a classroom student of its GS Foundation Batch, it concealed course details of other candidates displayed alongside him.
The Authority found that this selective disclosure created a misleading impression that all showcased candidates had enrolled in the GS Foundation Classroom Course, which was not true. At the same time, the institute prominently promoted its high-fee “Foundation Course,” thereby inducing aspirants to enrol based on false and inflated claims.
Following investigation, the CCPA noted that although Vision IAS claimed over 119 successful candidates across UPSC CSE 2022 and 2023, only three candidates had actually enrolled in its foundation courses. The remaining candidates had availed limited services such as preliminary and mains test series, one-time Abhyaas tests, or mock interview programmes. The Authority held that this amounted to deliberate concealment of material facts and constituted a misleading advertisement under Section 2(28) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
The CCPA also observed that the institute’s website-based advertisements were particularly impactful, as websites are globally accessible and remain available for extended periods, making them a primary source of information for aspirants evaluating coaching institutes. The Authority further noted that Vision IAS had previously been cautioned for similar violations but continued to publish misleading claims, leading to the present case being treated as a subsequent contravention and attracting a higher penalty.
The Authority underlined that in highly competitive examinations like the UPSC Civil Services Examination, where lakhs of aspirants invest significant time, effort, and money, incomplete and selective disclosures can create false expectations and mislead students and parents.
So far, the CCPA has issued 57 notices to coaching institutes for misleading advertisements and unfair trade practices. Penalties totalling ₹1.09 crore have been imposed on 28 institutes, along with directions to discontinue such practices.
The CCPA has reiterated that coaching institutes must ensure truthful, transparent, and complete disclosure in advertisements to enable students to make informed academic decisions.
