CCPA fines Vision IAS ₹11 lakh for misleading UPSC result ads

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed a penalty of ₹11 lakh on Vision IAS for publishing misleading advertisements on results of the UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2022 and 2023, while concealing key details about the actual courses taken by featured candidates.

In an order dated December 18, 2025, Chief Commissioner Nidhi Khare and Commissioner Anupam Mishra held that the institute’s website promotions created a misleading impression for aspirants by projecting toppers’ results without clearly disclosing the nature of the candidates’ association with Vision IAS.

The CCPA took suo motu cognisance of claims displayed on Vision IAS’s official website stating: “7 in Top 10 & 79 in Top 100 selections in CSE 2023” and “39 in Top 50 selections in CSE 2022.” The Authority noted that the claims were prominently displayed alongside photographs and names of successful candidates, while the site simultaneously advertised multiple programmes, including foundation and classroom courses.

A show cause notice was issued on May 30, 2024 calling for documents to substantiate the claims. Vision IAS responded on June 19, 2024, arguing that details of students’ ranks and courses were carried in newspaper advertisements and that the website had “limited space” due to design constraints. It denied violating consumer rights.

The CCPA ordered a detailed investigation, after which the Director General (Investigation), in a report dated October 14, 2025, found material discrepancies between the public claims and verified enrolment records.

For CSE 2023, although Vision IAS publicly claimed “79 in Top 100”, the verified data indicated actual enrolment of 17 out of those 79 candidates. For CSE 2022, the DG report similarly flagged gaps between the institute’s “39 in Top 50” claim and enrolment records across its different programmes.

The investigation also recorded that advertisements in newspapers and on the website claimed certain candidates - Medha Anand (Rank 13, CSE 2023) and Kritika Mishra (Rank 66, CSE 2022) - as institute students despite “no record of any such association.” It further noted non-submission of key records such as enrolment and consent forms for many of the claimed selections.

In its reply dated December 1, 2025, Vision IAS disputed these findings and said that both candidates were enrolled in its test series programmes. It also argued that similar issues had already been decided in an earlier CCPA order dated January 22, 2025 (which it said was under challenge before the NCDRC).

The CCPA held that in coaching advertisements for competitive exams, disclosure of the specific course programme, duration and fees is “of critical importance". It added that non-disclosure can mislead aspirants into believing the candidates were comprehensively trained by the institute across prelims, mains and interview stages.

Rejecting the “limited space” argument, the Authority said a website offers “significantly greater flexibility” than print media, and found the omission indicative of deliberate concealment. It also faulted Vision IAS for failing to produce consent documents authorising the use of candidates’ names and photographs on its website.

The CCPA concluded that the website advertisement was a misleading advertisement under Section 2(28) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 and treated it as a “subsequent contravention” in light of prior regulatory action.

It directed Vision IAS to pay ₹11 lakh, desist from misleading advertisements, make truthful and complete disclosures going forward, and file a compliance report within 15 days.

[Read Order]