7 months ago
3
The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed a punishment of ₹5 lakh connected Drishti IAS (VDK Eduventures Pvt Ltd) for publishing misleading advertisements regarding the results of the UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2022.
Drishti IAS, successful its advertisement, prominently claimed "216+ selections successful UPSC CSE 2022" on with names and photographs of palmy candidates.
However, upon examination, CCPA recovered that the assertion was misleading and concealed important accusation regarding the benignant and duration of courses opted for by these candidates, the Consumer Affairs Ministry said successful a statement.
The probe revealed that retired of the 216 candidates claimed by Drishti IAS, arsenic galore arsenic 162 candidates (75 per cent) had lone taken the escaped Interview Guidance Programme (IGP) of the institute, aft independently clearing the Preliminary and Mains stages of UPSC CSE. Only 54 students were enrolled successful IGP and different courses.
This deliberate concealment of important accusation misled aspirants and parents into believing that Drishti IAS was liable for their occurrence successful each stages of the UPSC examination, which is simply a misleading advertisement nether Section 2(28) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
CCPA besides noted that this is the 2nd punishment imposed connected Drishti IAS for akin conduct. Earlier, successful September 2024, the authorization had passed a last bid against Drishti IAS for its misleading assertion of "150+ selections successful UPSC CSE 2021".
The institute submitted the details of 161 candidates, exceeding its assertion of 150+ selections successful UPSC CSE 2021.
In that lawsuit too, it was recovered that retired of these 161 candidates, 148 were enrolled successful IGP, 7 were enrolled successful Mains Mentorship Program, 4 were enrolled successful GS Foundation Program, 1 successful Optional people and the details of the remaining 1 campaigner were not mentioned.
The CCPA imposed a punishment of ₹3 lakh and directed the discontinuation of the misleading advertisement.
Despite being penalised and cautioned earlier, Drishti IAS erstwhile again indulged successful the aforesaid signifier for the 2022 introspection results by enhancing its assertion to "216+ selections", thereby showing repeated non-compliance and disregard for user extortion norms.
The concealment of specified important accusation deprived prospective students and parents of their close to marque an informed choice, arsenic per Section 2(9) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
"Such advertisements make mendacious expectations and unfairly power user decisions, peculiarly erstwhile ample claims are made without transparent disclosure of facts," the ministry said.
So far, the CCPA has issued 54 notices to assorted coaching institutes for misleading advertisements and unfair commercialized practices. Penalties amounting to implicit Rs 90.6 lakh person been imposed connected 26 coaching institutes, on with directions to discontinue specified misleading claims.
The CCPA noted that each specified institutes concealed important accusation regarding the courses opted for by palmy candidates successful their advertisements, which amounts to misleading advertisements nether the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
The authorization has emphasised that each coaching institutes indispensable strictly guarantee truthful disclosure of accusation successful their advertisements truthful that students tin marque just and informed decisions regarding their world choices.
