Drishti IAS Fined Rs 5 Lakh by CCPA for Misleading UPSC Result Advertisements

This marks the second penalty imposed on Drishti IAS for similar misleading practices.

New Delhi:

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has levied a Rs 5 lakh fine on Drishti IAS (VDK Eduventures Pvt Ltd) for publishing misleading advertisements concerning the UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2022 results.

In its advertisements, Drishti IAS boldly claimed "216 selections in UPSC CSE 2022" and featured names and photographs of successful candidates.

Upon investigation, the CCPA discovered that this claim was misleading as it withheld important information about the type and duration of courses these candidates had actually enrolled in, according to a statement from the Consumer Affairs Ministry.

The investigation uncovered that among the 216 candidates claimed by Drishti IAS, 162 candidates (75%) had only participated in the institute's free Interview Guidance Programme (IGP) after independently clearing both Preliminary and Mains stages of the UPSC CSE. Only 54 students were enrolled in IGP along with other courses.

This deliberate omission of crucial details misled aspirants and their parents into believing that Drishti IAS was responsible for candidates' success throughout all examination stages, constituting a misleading advertisement under Section 2(28) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

The CCPA highlighted that this is not the first time Drishti IAS has been penalized for such behavior. In September 2024, the authority had already issued a final order against the institute for misleadingly claiming "150 selections in UPSC CSE 2021".

For that previous case, Drishti IAS had submitted details of 161 candidates, exceeding its claimed 150 selections in UPSC CSE 2021.

Similarly, the investigation revealed that out of these 161 candidates, 148 were only enrolled in IGP, seven in Mains Mentorship Program, four in GS Foundation Program, one in Optional course, while one candidate's details were not specified.

The CCPA had imposed a penalty of Rs 3 lakh and ordered the discontinuation of the misleading advertisement in that instance.

Despite the previous penalty and warning, Drishti IAS repeated the same practice regarding the 2022 examination results, increasing its claim to "216 selections," thus demonstrating repeated non-compliance and disregard for consumer protection regulations.

The concealment of such vital information deprived prospective students and parents of their right to make informed choices, as defined under Section 2(9) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

"Such advertisements generate false expectations and unfairly influence consumer decisions, particularly when substantial claims are made without transparent disclosure of facts," stated the ministry.

To date, the CCPA has issued 54 notices to various coaching institutes for misleading advertisements and unfair trade practices. Penalties totaling over Rs 90.6 lakh have been imposed on 26 coaching institutes, along with directives to cease such misleading claims.

The CCPA observed that all these institutes concealed critical information regarding the courses chosen by successful candidates in their advertisements, which constitutes misleading advertisements under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

The authority has emphasized that all coaching institutes must strictly ensure truthful disclosure of information in their advertisements to enable students to make fair and informed decisions regarding their academic choices.