CCPA fines two IAS coaching centres for deceptive ads, misuse of UPSC toppers’ identities

New Delhi: The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed penalties of Rs 8 lakh each on Dikshant IAS and Abhimanu IAS for misleading advertisements, unfair trade practices, and violations of consumer rights under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

The penalties followed complaints from successful UPSC candidates who alleged that the institutes had used their names and photographs without consent in advertisements that falsely claimed credit for their results, according to a statement from the Ministry of Consumer Affairs.

In the case of Dikshant IAS, the CCPA received a representation from Mini Shukla (AIR 96, UPSC CSE 2021), who said her name and photograph were used in promotional material without her consent. She clarified that she had never been associated with Dikshant IAS and had only attended a mock interview at Chahal Academy, which she later discovered was jointly organised with Dikshant IAS.

The institute had advertised “200+ Results in UPSC CSE 2021” while featuring photographs and names of successful candidates without specifying the nature of their association with the institute. Upon investigation, the CCPA found that the institute could only produce 116 enrolment forms against its claim of “200+ results” and failed to provide any agreement with Chahal Academy or evidence that students were informed of the joint programme.

The regulator concluded that Dikshant IAS had taken full credit for “200+ results in UPSC CSE 2021” across all examination stages while concealing that candidates’ association was restricted to the interview phase.

“The advertisements deliberately concealed crucial details about the courses undertaken by successful candidates. This omission created a false impression that Dikshant IAS had contributed to their overall UPSC preparation, whereas their association was limited to the interview stage,” the CCPA said.

In a separate case, the CCPA found Abhimanu IAS guilty of similar violations following a complaint by Natasha Goyal (AIR 175, UPSC CSE 2022). She reported that the institute had falsely claimed her as its student and used her name and photograph without authorisation.

Evidence showed that the institute had shared a question bank with her for a mock interview that was never conducted but still used her details in advertisements.

The CCPA noted that Abhimanu IAS had made misleading claims such as “2200+ Selections since Inception”, “10+ Selections in IAS Top 10”, and “1st Rank in HCS/PCS/HAS”, while using images and names of successful candidates from various examinations in 2023. The institute failed to clarify which courses or exams the candidates were actually enrolled in.

An investigation revealed that out of 139 claimed selections across various examinations in 2023, 88 students had cleared the Prelims and Mains stages without any assistance from Abhimanu IAS. The institute had only provided mock interview programmes or personalised question banks to them.

Regarding the “10+ Selections in IAS Top 10” claim, the CCPA found that most of these results dated back to 2001–2012, with only two from 2018. The omission of the phrase “since 1999” was deemed a material omission that misled consumers into believing the institute had recent top-10 results.

The “2200+ Selections since Inception” claim was also found to be unsubstantiated, as the institute could not provide evidence or specify which examinations were included, leading to a false impression that all selections were from the UPSC CSE.

The CCPA observed that the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 confers upon consumers the right to be informed, which includes access to truthful and accurate information enabling them to make rational decisions.

“Misleading advertisements undermine this right and adversely affect consumer interest, particularly in the field of education where aspirants invest significant time, effort, and financial resources,” the authority, led by Chief Commissioner Nidhi Khare and Commissioner Anupam Mishra, stated.

The CCPA has encouraged successful candidates of competitive examinations to report any instance of unauthorised use of their names or photographs by coaching institutes in promotional material.

So far, the authority has issued 57 notices to various coaching institutes for misleading advertisements and unfair trade practices, imposing penalties exceeding Rs 98.6 lakh on 27 of them.