The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) imposed a penalty of ₹5 lakh on on Shankar IAS Academy for misleading advertisement regarding UPSC Civil Service Exam 2022.

In its ad for the UPSC Civil Service Exam 2022, Shankar IAS Academy made several claims including “336 selections out of 933 at All India Level”, “40 candidates in Top”. It also claimed that “42 candidates have cleared from Tamil Nadu, of which 37 studied at Shankar IAS Academy besides that it is “Best IAS Academy in India”.

The CCPA said the decision was taken to protect and promote the rights of consumers as a class and ensure that no false or misleading advertisement is made of any goods or services which contravenes the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

“The CCPA found out that Shankar IAS Academy advertised various types of courses but the information with respect to the course opted by the advertised successful candidates in UPSC Civil Service exams results 2022, was deliberately concealed in the advertisement. This has the effect of consumers falsely believing that all the successful candidates so claimed by the institute had opted for the paid courses advertised by the institute on its website. In other words, this practice consequently attract consumers into buying paid courses advertised by the coaching institutes,” the CCPA order stated.

The order noted that out of 336 claimed successful students, 221 had only taken Free Interview Guidance Programme from the institute, while others participated in short-term or specific exam components instead of full time courses. “By concealing this important fact, such false and misleading advertisement creates huge impact on those consumers who are UPSC aspirants without letting them know that Shankar IAS Academy role in candidates’ success. Thus, the advertisement has violated the consumer’s right to be informed so as to protect itself against unfair trade practice,” CCPA’s order noted.

CCPA also found that in 18 instances the academy claimed credit for candidates who purchased preliminary exam courses after 2022 exam had already taken place. “This could only mean that these candidates bought preliminary course for next UPSC CSE prelims exam i.e., 2023. Shankar IAS claimed these candidates in their total selections list of UPSC CSE 2022,” it added.

Nidhi Khare, Chief Commissioner of CCPA stated that amore than 10 lakh candidates apply for UPSC Civil Services Examination every year making them a vulnerable consumer cohort. “That’s why such advertisements shall contain truthful and honest representation of facts by disclosing important information in such a manner that they are clear, prominent and extremely hard to miss for consumers,” she added.

This is part of a broader crackdown by CCPA on misleading ads by coaching institutes. “The CCPA has issued notices to numerous coaching institutes for misleading advertisement wherein the CCPA observed that coaching institutes prominently use name and photographs of same successful candidate in its advertisements to create deception as if the successful candidates were full-time classroom students of coaching institutes,” it added.