In its advert for the UPSC Civil Service Examination 2022, Shankar IAS Academy made a number of claims together with “336 choices out of 933 at All India Stage”, “40 candidates in High”. It additionally claimed that “42 candidates have cleared from Tamil Nadu, of which 37 studied at Shankar IAS Academy in addition to that it’s “Finest IAS Academy in India”.
The CCPA stated the choice was taken to guard and promote the rights of shoppers as a category and be sure that no false or deceptive commercial is made from any items or companies which contravenes the provisions of the Client Safety Act, 2019.
“The CCPA discovered that Shankar IAS Academy marketed varied sorts of programs however the info with respect to the course opted by the marketed profitable candidates in UPSC Civil Service exams outcomes 2022, was intentionally hid within the commercial. This has the impact of shoppers falsely believing that every one the profitable candidates so claimed by the institute had opted for the paid programs marketed by the institute on its web site. In different phrases, this apply consequently entice shoppers into shopping for paid programs marketed by the teaching institutes,” the CCPA order said.
The order famous that out of 336 claimed profitable college students, 221 had solely taken Free Interview Steerage Programme from the institute, whereas others participated in short-term or particular examination parts as an alternative of full time programs. “By concealing this vital truth, such false and deceptive commercial creates enormous impression on these shoppers who’re UPSC aspirants with out letting them know that Shankar IAS Academy function in candidates’ success. Thus, the commercial has violated the buyer’s proper to be told in order to guard itself towards unfair commerce apply,” CCPA’s order famous.
CCPA additionally discovered that in 18 situations the academy claimed credit score for candidates who bought preliminary examination programs after 2022 examination had already taken place. “This might solely imply that these candidates purchased preliminary course for subsequent UPSC CSE prelims examination i.e., 2023. Shankar IAS claimed these candidates of their complete choices listing of UPSC CSE 2022,” it added.
Nidhi Khare, Chief Commissioner of CCPA said that amore than 10 lakh candidates apply for UPSC Civil Providers Examination yearly making them a weak shopper cohort. “That’s why such commercials shall include truthful and sincere illustration of information by disclosing vital info in such a way that they’re clear, distinguished and intensely laborious to overlook for shoppers,” she added.
That is a part of a broader crackdown by CCPA on deceptive adverts by teaching institutes. “The CCPA has issued notices to quite a few teaching institutes for deceptive commercial whereby the CCPA noticed that teaching institutes prominently use identify and pictures of similar profitable candidate in its commercials to create deception as if the profitable candidates have been full-time classroom college students of teaching institutes,” it added.
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