NewzVille Desk
The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has passed orders against Dikshant IAS and Abhimanu IAS imposing penalty of ₹8,00,000 each for indulging in misleading advertisements, unfair trade practices and violation of consumer rights under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
In Case of Dikshant IAS, the CCPA received a representation from Mini Shukla (AIR 96, UPSC CSE 2021), who stated that her name and photograph were used in the institute’s promotional material without her consent.
She clarified that she had never been associated with Dikshant IAS and had only attended a mock interview at Chahal Academy, which she later came to know was jointly organized with Dikshant IAS.
Dikshant IAS claimed that the students had attended its Interview Guidance Programme (IGP) and that the programme was jointly conducted with Chahal Academy.
However, the Authority found that Dikshant IAS could produce only 116 enrolment forms against its claim of “200+ results”.
It also failed to submit any agreement with Chahal Academy or any evidence to show that the students were informed of the joint nature of the programme.
In Case of Abhimanu IAS, a representation from Natasha Goyal (AIR 175, UPSC CSE 2022) revealed that the institute had falsely claimed her as its student and used her name and photograph without authorization.
Evidence showed that the institute had shared a question bank with her based on her Detailed Application Form (DAF) for a mock interview that was never conducted.
Despite this, the institute used her name and photograph without consent, a practice held by the CCPA to be deceptive and unfair, amounting to an unfair contractual condition under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
Upon examination, CCPA found that Abhimanu IAS had also published misleading claims such as “2200+ Selections since Inception”, “10+ Selections in IAS Top 10”, and “1st Rank in HCS/PCS/HAS”.
The CCPA has urged successful candidates of competitive examinations to promptly report any instance where a coaching institute falsely uses their name or photograph in advertisements or for promotional purposes.
So far, the CCPA has issued 57 notices to various coaching institutes for misleading advertisements and unfair trade practices. Penalties amounting to over ₹98.6 lakh have been imposed on 27 coaching institutes, along with directions to discontinue such misleading claims.
