New Delhi: Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) imposed a ₹7 lakh penalty on Vajiram and Ravi IAS Study Centre LLP for misleading UPSC claims after finding that the institute concealed key information about the courses attended by successful candidates featured in its advertisements.
The authority said the institute highlighted the achievements of UPSC Civil Services Examination 2023 rank holders. However, it did not disclose that many of them attended only its free Interview Guidance Programme (IGP).
CCPA said the omission denied prospective students information needed to make informed decisions. Therefore, it ruled that the advertisements violated provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
The order was issued by CCPA under the leadership of Chief Commissioner Nidhi Khare and Commissioner Anupam Mishra. The authority found that the advertisements created the impression that successful candidates had completed the institute’s full coaching programmes.
According to the investigation, Vajiram and Ravi claimed that eight of the top 10 UPSC rank holders and 37 of the top 50 rank holders were associated with the institute. However, investigators found that seven of the eight top-10 candidates and 29 of the 37 top-50 candidates had enrolled only in the free interview guidance programme.
Misleading UPSC claims concealed course details
CCPA also examined the institute’s claim that more than 30 percent of UPSC officers selected every year were its students.
The inquiry found that a large majority of the candidates cited in support of that claim had participated only in the interview guidance programme.
According to the authority, 86.36 percent of successful candidates in 2021 enrolled only in the programme. The figure stood at 78.31 percent in 2022. It rose to 97.56 percent in 2023 and remained at 71.69 percent in 2024.
The institute did not disclose these details in its promotional material. As a result, consumers could not accurately assess the extent of the institute’s contribution.
CCPA noted that the interview guidance programme begins only after candidates independently clear both the Preliminary and Mains examinations. Therefore, the institute had no academic role in helping those candidates clear those stages.
The authority concluded that the advertisements amounted to misleading UPSC claims because they concealed important information. It also held that the practice violated consumers’ right to accurate information before choosing coaching services.
CCPA said it has issued more than 60 notices to coaching institutes for misleading advertisements and unfair trade practices. The authority has also imposed penalties exceeding ₹1.46 crore on coaching centres preparing students for UPSC, IIT-JEE, NEET, RBI and other competitive examinations.
