New Delhi: The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed a penalty of ₹5 lakh on coaching institute Drishti IAS (VDK Eduventures Pvt. Ltd.) for publishing misleading advertisements about its role in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2022 results.

The institute had claimed “216+ selections in UPSC CSE 2022” along with names and photographs of successful candidates. However, the CCPA probe found that 162 of these candidates—about 75 per cent—had only attended Drishti IAS's free Interview Guidance Programme after independently clearing the Preliminary and Mains stages. Only 54 candidates had enrolled in other paid courses.

The authority said this concealment misled aspirants and parents into believing the institute was responsible for success in all stages of the exam, qualifying as a “misleading advertisement” under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

The regulator also flagged repeat violations, noting that in September 2024, Drishti IAS had been fined ₹3 lakh for similar claims related to UPSC CSE 2021 results. Despite earlier directions, the institute again exaggerated its role in selections, reflecting “disregard of consumer protection norms,” CCPA said.

So far, the CCPA has issued 54 notices to coaching institutes for misleading claims, imposing penalties of over ₹90.6 lakh on 26 of them. It reiterated that coaching centres must make transparent disclosures to allow students and parents to make informed choices.