CCPA: IAS Academy fined Rs 500,000 for misleading UPSC results advertisement

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) on Sunday said it has imposed a penalty of Rs 5 lakh on Shankar IAS Academy for publishing misleading advertisements related to the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2022.

The decision was taken by the CCPA to protect and promote the rights of consumers and to ensure that no false or misleading advertisement of goods or services is made in violation of the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

Nidhi Khare, Chief Commissioner, CCPA, said that over 1,000,000 candidates are reported to apply for the UPSC Civil Services Examination every year.

“Shankar IAS Academy’s advertisement was targeted at a specific group of consumers – UPSC aspirants. Therefore, such advertisements must contain a truthful and honest presentation of the facts by disclosing important information in a way that is clear, prominent and hard to miss for consumers,” she said.

Section 18 of the Act empowers the CCPA to ensure that no false or misleading advertisement is made with respect to any goods or services in contravention of the provisions of this Act or the rules and regulations made thereunder.

In its advertisement for UPSC Civil Services Examination 2022, Shankar IAS Academy stated that at the all-India level, 336 out of 933 candidates were selected, 40 candidates were among the top 100 and 42 candidates from Tamil Nadu passed the exam, of which 37 studied at Shankar IAS Academy and the best IAS academy in India.

The CCPA investigation found that Shankar IAS Academy had advertised various types of courses, but the information regarding the course opted for by the successful candidates of the UPSC Civil Services examinations was “deliberately concealed” in the advertisement.

As a result, consumers mistakenly believed that all candidates identified by the institute as successful had opted for the paid courses that the institute advertised on its website.

“In other words, this practice is intended to entice consumers to buy the paid courses offered by the training institutes,” said the regulator, which reports to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs.

In its reply, Shankar IAS Academy submitted the data of only 333 successful candidates, although it said there were over 336 selections for UPSC CSE 2022.

Of the 336 students reported, 221 participated in the free Interview Guidance Programme, 71 in the Mains Test Series, 35 in the Prelims Test Series, 12 in General Studies Prelims cum Mains and 4 in the Prelims Test Series with some other main courses (optional and/or GS).

“This fact was not disclosed in their advertisement, thereby deceiving the consumers. By concealing this important fact, such false and misleading advertisement has a huge impact on the consumers who are UPSC aspirants without informing them about the role that Shankar IAS Academy plays in the success of the candidates,” the CCPA pointed out.

No comment was available from the IAS Academy concerned.

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