The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) recently fined two coaching institutes, Motion Education and Career Line Coaching (CLC), Sikar, for publishing misleading advertisements relating to IIT-JEE and NEET results.

The authority noted that over 11 lakh students take IIT-JEE and 15–20 lakh appear for NEET annually, and many rely on coaching institute advertisements while making career decisions.

"In view of the wide reach and impact of the impugned advertisements, the CCPA is of the opinion that imposition of a penalty on the opposite party is necessary in the interest of consumers," it added.

The CCPA, therefore imposed a fine of ₹10 lakh on Motion Education and ₹5 lakh on CLC. It found that both institutes violated the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 by concealing material information and making unsubstantiated claims that could mislead students and parents.

In both cases, the CCPA found that the institutes prominently advertised top ranks and high success rates but failed to disclose critical information such as:

• The specific courses undertaken by successful candidates;

• Duration of such courses;

• Whether the courses were paid or offered free.

The Authority held that such details are “important information” for aspirants and their concealment renders the advertisements misleading under Section 2(28) of the Act.

In its April 8, 2026, order, the CCPA flagged several issues with Motion Education’s advertisements:

• Claims such as 91.2 per cent NEET qualification rate and over 50 per cent JEE Advanced success were not backed by complete data;

• Students were shown as successful candidates despite being enrolled after the examination;

• Names and photographs of students were used without proper consent;

• Branding claims like "If there is motion then there is selection" created a misleading impression of assured success.

The authority held that such representations were not substantiated and amounted to misleading advertisements and unfair trade practices.

In a separate order dated April 9, 2026, the CCPA found similar violations by CLC Sikar. The institute had made claims including:

• “1650+ CLCians in MBBS, IIT & Others”

• “22 CLCians in NEET AIR-100”

• “7 times result growth in AIR-1000”

However, the authority found that:

• These claims were not substantiated with verifiable evidence;

• Course details of successful candidates were not disclosed;

• Advertisements created a misleading impression linking results to the institute’s paid programmes.

The CCPA also flagged use of ambiguous terms such as “fresher” and “repeater”, and noted the absence of fee receipts and proper documentation.

The authority held that both institutes had violated the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, including Section 2(28) dealing with misleading advertisements and Section 2(47) on unfair trade practices.

It also found breaches of the Guidelines for Prevention of Misleading Advertisements, 2022 and the Guidelines for Prevention of Misleading Advertisement in the Coaching Sector, 2024.

These norms require coaching institutes to clearly disclose essential details such as the course undertaken by successful candidates, its duration, whether it was paid or free, and to carry appropriate disclaimers when using students’ achievements in advertisements

Accordingly, the CCPA directed both institutes to immediately discontinue the misleading advertisements and refrain from issuing similar claims in future. It further mandated that they ensure truthful and complete disclosures in all advertisements and submit compliance reports within 15 days of receipt of the order.

[Read Order Against Motion]

[Read Order Against Career Line]