New Delhi: The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed a penalty of ₹5 lakh on Dr. Vikas Divyakirti’s Drishti IAS (VDK Eduventures Pvt. Ltd.) for publishing misleading advertisements regarding the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2022 results.
The institute prominently claimed “216+ selections in UPSC CSE 2022”, showcasing names and photographs of successful candidates. But CCPA’s investigation found that the majority of these candidates 162 out of 216 (75%) had only taken Drishti IAS’s free Interview Guidance Programme (IGP) after clearing Prelims and Mains independently. Only 54 students were enrolled in IGP plus other paid courses.
The concealment of such crucial details, according to CCPA, misled aspirants and parents into believing that the institute played a role throughout all stages of the examination, thereby constituting a misleading advertisement under Section 2(28) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
Repeat offence
This is the second penalty on Drishti IAS. Earlier in September 2024, CCPA had fined the institute ₹3 lakh for claiming “150+ selections in UPSC CSE 2021.” Despite being penalized and cautioned, the institute repeated the same practice with inflated claims in 2022, showing disregard for consumer protection norms.
Broader crackdown on coaching ads
So far, CCPA has issued 54 notices to coaching institutes across India for unfair trade practices, imposing penalties of over ₹90.6 lakh on 26 institutes. Most of these cases involve exaggerated claims without transparent disclosure of actual student course participation.
The Authority has reminded coaching centers that truthful and transparent disclosure in advertisements is mandatory to protect students’ rights and prevent unfair influence over their academic choices.
