Coaching Institutes Fined for Misleading Claims in Civil Services Exams

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) fined three coaching institutes, Vajirao & Reddy Institute, StudyIQ IAS, and Edge IAS, a total of Rs 15 lakh for deceptive advertising on civil services exam success rates. Many candidates highlighted had only taken interview prep courses, misleading consumers about course effectiveness.

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has taken action against three coaching institutes for deceptive advertising regarding their civil services examination success rates, the government announced on Thursday. The CCPA imposed a total penalty of Rs 15 lakh on Vajirao & Reddy Institute, StudyIQ IAS, and Edge IAS.

The fines were distributed with Vajirao & Reddy Institute and StudyIQ IAS each facing a Rs 700,000 penalty, while Edge IAS was fined Rs 100,000. The CCPA, led by Chief Commissioner Nidhi Khare, discovered that the institutes falsely represented the efficacy of their courses by not disclosing that successful candidates had mainly enrolled in Interview Guidance Programs.

The CCPA continues to crackdown on misleading advertisements, issuing 45 notices to coaching centers and collecting penalties from 22 institutes. Under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, such concealment of information is considered misleading and incurs financial penalties.

(With inputs from agencies.)