CCPA Fines UPSC Coaching Centre For Misleading Advertisements And Unfair Trade Practice.

In a recent ruling given by the Central Consumer Protection Authority has imposed a fine of Rs. 2 lakhs on UPSC coaching centre *Shubhra Ranjan IAS* for publishing misleading advertisements and indulging in unfair trade practice. Here the case revolves around an institute named *Shubhra Ranjan IAS who* promotes various courses on different social media platforms by showcasing the names of candidates who passed the exam. However, the ads does not mention the name and descriptions of the courses that successful candidates had taken. An inquiry by the CCPA revealed that most candidates had actually enrolled in the Political Science and International Relations (PSIR) Crash course and test series, which was intentionally not shown in the advertisements. The Authority noted that this omission misleads potential students about the quality of the courses offered by the institute. Advertising courses like the Integrated GS and PSIR classroom course and the NCERT foundation course Classroom/Online, but actually the successful candidates only went for crash courses, which would let prospective consumers make the wrong decision. The Authority further held the institute liable for the use of the term 'SHUBHRA RANJAN IAS' that creates the impression that the services provided by the institute are given directly under the guidance of an IAS officer when actually the individual- Shubhra Ranjan is not a civil servant. This was held as an act of misrepresentation. It was held that non-disclosure of specific information relating to courses which were adopted by successful students impaired the ability of the prospective students to decide suitable courses for them. This practice of implying that all successful candidates were part of regular batches infringes on consumer rights. Therefore, the authority ordered the institute to close such misleading advertisements and imposed a fine of Rs. 2 lakhs. Published by **Voxya** as an initiative to help consumers in resolving consumer complaints.