CCPA imposes ₹11 lakh penalty on Vision IAS for misleading UPSC result advertisements

Key facts

• The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed a ₹11 lakh penalty on Vision IAS for publishing misleading advertisements related to results of the UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2022 and 2023.
• The CCPA found that Vision IAS claimed "7 in Top 10 & 79 in Top 100 selections in CSE 2023" and "39 in Top 50 selections in CSE 2022" without clearly disclosing the nature and extent of courses actually availed by the candidates.
• Out of the 119 plus selections claimed across the two years, only three candidates had enrolled in full foundation courses; the remaining 116 had opted for short-term or standalone programmes.
• The Authority noted that Vision IAS continued to display the impugned advertisements on its website even after receiving a show-cause notice and failed to furnish enrolment forms or consent documents authorising the use of candidates’ names and images.
• The CCPA has directed the institute to discontinue misleading advertisements, ensure truthful and complete disclosures going forward, and submit a compliance report within 15 days.