CCPA fines Sriram's IAS Rs 3 lakh for misleading advertising practices

Sriram's IAS misled consumers with false claims about UPSC Civil Service Exam 2022, leading to Consumer Rights Regulator CCPA Penalty.

The Consumer Rights Regulator, CCPA, has fined coaching institute Sriram's IAS Rs 3 lakh for releasing a misleading advertisement that violated consumer rights. The misleading claims were associated with the UPSC Civil Service Exam 2022, as reported by Press Trust of India.

According to an official statement, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed a "penalty of Rs 3 lakh for misleading advertisement on Sriram's IAS"

The CCPA stated that the decision was made to safeguard and uphold the rights of consumers as a whole.

In light of the violation of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, the CCPA, led by Chief Commissioner Nidhi Khare and Commissioner Anupam Mishra, has issued an order against Sriram's IAS for its misleading advertisement concerning the UPSC Civil Service Exam 2022.

The regulator noted that coaching institutes and online edtech platforms often use images and names of successful candidates to sway potential aspirants (consumers) without revealing the courses those candidates took or the duration of their studies.

Sriram's IAS claimed in its advertisement to have "200 plus selections in UPSC Civil Service Exam 2022" and to be "India's No.1 Prestigious UPSC/IAS Coaching Institute," according to the regulator's citation of the ad content.

The CCPA discovered that while Sriram's IAS promoted various courses, it intentionally concealed information regarding the specific courses taken by the successful candidates mentioned in the UPSC Civil Service exam results.

It said, "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 in its website"

In its response, Sriram's IAS provided details for only 171 successful candidates, despite claiming over 200 selections in the UPSC CSE 2022, the statement noted. The CCPA stated that most candidates had independently passed the Preliminary and Mains examinations without any assistance from Sriram's IAS.

"By concealing this important fact, such false & misleading advertisement creates huge impact on those consumers who are UPSC aspirants without letting them know that Sriram's IAS had offered guidance to only such successful candidates who had already cleared Preliminary and Mains examination of UPSC examination," it said.