New Delhi: The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has penalised Vision IAS (AjayVision Education Pvt Ltd) ₹11 lakh for misleading advertisements on its website regarding UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2022 and 2023 results, citing violations of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
In its order, the CCPA found that Vision IAS made tall claims such as “7 in Top 10 & 79 in Top 100 selections in CSE 2023” and “39 in Top 50 selections in CSE 2022”, prominently displaying names, photographs and ranks of successful candidates. However, while the institute disclosed the specific course details of one topper, it concealed the nature of courses opted by most other candidates featured in the advertisements.
According to the regulator’s findings, out of the claimed 119 successful candidates across the two years, only three had enrolled in Vision IAS’s foundation courses. The remaining candidates had availed services such as prelims and mains test series, one-time Abhyaas tests, or mock interview programmes. The selective disclosure created the impression that the institute’s flagship foundation course—priced at several lakh rupees—was responsible for the bulk of the successes.
The authority noted that such omissions amounted to false and inflated claims, inducing aspirants and parents to enrol on the basis of misleading information. It also observed that advertisements on websites have a wider and more enduring impact than print media, as they are globally accessible and form a primary source of research for students evaluating coaching institutes.
Importantly, the CCPA treated this as a repeat offence, pointing out that Vision IAS had earlier faced regulatory action for similar violations. The recurrence, it said, demonstrated a lack of due diligence and warranted a higher penalty.
The order comes amid increased regulatory scrutiny of the coaching sector. The CCPA said it has so far issued 57 notices to coaching institutes for misleading advertisements and imposed penalties totalling ₹1.09 crore on 28 entities, along with directions to discontinue unfair trade practices.
The authority reiterated that coaching institutes must ensure truthful and transparent disclosures in advertisements, especially in highly competitive examinations like the UPSC CSE, where aspirants invest significant time, effort and financial resources.