‘Misleading’: CCPA fines two UPSC institutes; ads falsely claimed to have guided toppers

NEW DELHI: Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has fined to IAS-coaching institutes for issuing misleading advertisements and violating consumer rights under the Consumer Protection Act. The action followed complaints from successful UPSC candidates that Dikshant IAS and Abhimanu IAS had used their names and photographs in advertisements without their consent, falsely claiming credit for their results, CCPA said.Mini Shukla (AIR 96, UPSC 2021) said Dikshant IAS featured her photo in its promotional material, despite her having no formal link with the institute. She said she only attended a mock interview organised by another academy, which later turned out to be held jointly with Dikshant IAS. The CCPA found that Dikshant IAS had published claims like “200+ Results in UPSC CSE 2021” without proof. The institute could produce only 116 enrolment forms and failed to show evidence of a partnership with Chahal Academy, whose name it had invoked. Officials said the coaching centre concealed key details about which courses the successful candidates had actually taken, misleading aspirants into believing they were full-time students.

In a separate case, Natasha Goyal (AIR 175, UPSC 2022) alleged that Abhimanu IAS used her name and photo without permission. Evidence showed she never attended any of the institute’s sessions, though it sent her a question bank for a mock interview that never took place. The CCPA found Abhimanu IAS guilty of exaggerating its record with slogans such as “2200+ selections since inception” and “10+ selections in IAS Top 10”.

Most of these claims dated back more than a decade, and the institute failed to provide documents to support them. It also did not clarify which exams UPSC, HCS, RBI Grade B or NABARD Grade A—the figures referred to, creating a misleading impression that all were UPSC results. Officials said such ads exploit students’ aspirations by concealing facts and overstating success, violating the consumer’s right to accurate information. So far, the CCPA has issued 57 notices to various coaching institutes for misleading advertisements and unfair trade practices. Penalties worth over Rs 98.6 lakh have been imposed on 27 of them, along with directions to withdraw false claims.