The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed a penalty of eleven lakh rupees on Vision IAS Institute for publishing misleading advertisements on its official website about the results of the UPSC Civil Services Examinations 2022 and 2023. The penalty has been imposed in violation of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

The CCPA said that the institute claimed credit for more than one hundred nineteen successful candidates in UPSC CSE 2022 and 2023. However, after a detailed investigation. The CCPA found that only three candidates had enrolled in foundation courses, while the remaining 116 candidates had opted for services such as Test Series for Preliminary and Mains examinations, and Mock Interview programmes.

The CCPA added that this deliberate concealment of material information misled aspirants and parents into believing that Vision IAS was responsible for the candidates’ success across all stages of the examination. The institute also promoted its ‘Foundation Course’, which involves fees running into lakhs of rupees. The CCPA said that, such conduct had the effect of inducing students to enroll in the institute’s programmes based on false, inflated, and unverified claims.

The authority also noted that Vision IAS had earlier been proceeded against for publishing misleading advertisements. Despite regulatory intervention and caution, the institute continued to make similar claims in its subsequent advertisements, demonstrating a lack of due diligence and regulatory compliance. The CCPA has issued 57 notices to various coaching institutes for misleading advertisements and unfair trade practices so far. The Authority said that penalties amounting to more than one core have been imposed on 28 coaching institutes, along with directions to discontinue such misleading claims.

The Authority emphasised that all coaching institutes must strictly ensure truthful and transparent disclosure of information in their advertisements, enabling students to make fair and informed academic decisions.