CCPA slaps Rs 8 lakh fine each on Dikshant IAS, Abhimanu IAS over misleading ads

New Delhi, Nov 1 (IANS) The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed penalty on Dikshant IAS and Abhimanu IAS of Rs 8 lakh each, for indulging in misleading advertisements, unfair trade practices and violation of consumer rights under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

So far, the CCPA has issued 57 notices to various coaching institutes for misleading advertisements and unfair trade practices. Penalties amounting to over Rs 98.6 lakh have been imposed on 27 coaching institutes, along with directions to discontinue such misleading claims.

The CCPA took cognisance of representations received from successful UPSC candidates whose names and photographs were used without consent in advertisements claiming credit for their results.

In view of the violation of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, the CCPA, headed by Chief Commissioner Nidhi Khare, and Commissioner Anupam Mishra, issued final orders against Dikshant IAS and Abhimanu IAS.

“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,” according to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.

In the 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.

CCPA noted that Dikshant IAS had published advertisements claiming “200+ Results in UPSC CSE 2021”, featuring the photographs and names of successful candidates without disclosing the specific courses taken by them. The institute was unable to substantiate this claim with credible evidence despite multiple opportunities.

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 the case of Abhimanu IAS, a representation from Ms. 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 advertisements prominently featured the pictures and names of successful candidates from various examinations in 2023, including the UPSC Civil Services Examination, Haryana Civil Services (HCS), RBI Grade-B, and NABARD Grade-A, while concealing important information about the specific courses these candidates had enrolled in.

CCPA’s investigation found that the institute submitted details of 139 claimed selections across various examinations in 2023, out of which 88 students had cleared the Prelims and Mains stages without any assistance from Abhimanu IAS.

The claim of “2200+ Selections since Inception” was also found to be unsupported, as the institute failed to produce any evidence to substantiate it.

--IANS

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