The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) on Monday passed a final order imposing a penalty of Rs 15 lakh on Vajirao and Reddy Institute for issuing misleading advertisements in relation to the Civil Services Examination (CSE), 2023.
According to the CCPA observation, the coaching institute deliberately concealed important information in its advertisements, namely, the specific course(s) opted for by the successful candidates.
The action is said to have been taken to protect and promote the rights of consumers and to ensure that no false or misleading advertisements are made for any goods or services that contravene the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
The Vajirao & Reddy Institute in its advertisement made the following claims- “617 selections out of 933 in UPSC CSE 2022”; “7 in Top 10 AIR”; “16 in Top 20 AIR”; “39 in Top 50 AIR”; “72 in Top 100 AIR”; “We are ranked at 1st position among the list of top UPSC Coaching Institutes in India”.
In December 2024, the CCPA had slapped Vajirao and Reddy with Rs 7 lakh fine over the issue. The authority had found that the institute prominently displayed successful candidates’ names & pictures and simultaneously advertised various types of paid courses on its official website.
However, the information about the course opted by the successful candidates in UPSC Civil Service exam 2022 and 23 was not disclosed in the advertisement.
The Vajirao & Reddy Institute made it look like all the courses offered by it had the same success rate for the consumers, which was not right, the CCPA had said.