CCPA fines Vajiram and Ravi Rs 7 lakh for misleading UPSC rank ads

The CCPA has fined Vajiram and Ravi IAS Study Centre Rs 7 lakh for misleading ads. The institute claimed top UPSC rankers as its students without revealing they had only enrolled in a free interview guidance programme, not full-length courses.

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed a penalty of Rs 7 lakh on Vajiram and Ravi IAS Study Centre LLP for allegedly publishing misleading advertisements and concealing material information related to the success of candidates in the UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE).

Misleading Claims and Concealed Information

According to a press release issued by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, the final order was passed by the CCPA, headed by Chief Commissioner Nidhi Khare and Commissioner Anupam Mishra, after the authority found that the coaching institute had prominently advertised the achievements of successful UPSC CSE 2023 candidates without disclosing the specific courses undertaken by those candidates. According to the press release, the institute had claimed on its official website that "8 Rank Holders in the Top 10 are from Vajiram & Ravi", "37 Rank Holders in the Top 50 are from Vajiram & Ravi", and that "more than 30 per cent of the officers selected through UPSC Civil Services Examination are students of Vajiram & Ravi" every year.

CCPA Investigation Findings

The CCPA's investigation reportedly found that seven of the eight top-10 rank holders and 29 of the 37 candidates in the top 50 had enrolled only in the institute's free Interview Guidance Programme (IGP). The authority further noted that a large majority of successful candidates associated with the institute in recent years had participated only in the IGP.

According to the findings cited in the press release, 86.36 per cent of successful candidates in 2021, 78.31 per cent in 2022, 97.56 per cent in 2023, and 71.69 per cent in 2024 had enrolled solely in the interview guidance programme. The CCPA observed that the Interview Guidance Programme begins only after candidates independently clear the Preliminary and Mains stages of the UPSC examination. By featuring such candidates in advertisements for comprehensive coaching programmes without clarifying the nature of their enrolment, the institute allegedly created the impression that their success was attributable to its full-length coaching courses.

Violation of Consumer Protection Act

The authority held that the non-disclosure of important information regarding the courses opted for by successful candidates amounted to a misleading advertisement under Section 2(28)(iv) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, and violated consumers' right to be informed under Section 2(9) of the Act, the release said.

Broader Crackdown on Coaching Institutes

The press release stated that the CCPA has so far issued more than 60 notices to coaching institutes for misleading advertisements and unfair trade practices and has imposed penalties exceeding Rs 1.46 crore on coaching centres preparing students for examinations such as UPSC, IIT-JEE, NEET, RBI and other competitive tests. (ANI)

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