CCPA fines IITPK, 23 others for misleading ads on IIT-JEE admission success

The CCPA has fined IITPK Rs 3,00,000 for misleading ads claiming top IIT-JEE ranks and inflated success rates, violating the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, and misleading students

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has fined IITian’s Prashikshan Kendra Pvt Ltd (IITPK) Rs 3,00,000 for making deceptive claims about IIT-JEE exam results, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution said in a press statement.

 

This action was taken to uphold the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, and prevent the dissemination of false or misleading advertisements regarding any products or services.

 

“The CCPA has so far issued 46 notices to various coaching institutes for misleading advertisements. The CCPA has imposed a penalty of Rs 77.6 lakh on 24 coaching institutes and directed them to discontinue the misleading advertisements,” the statement mentioned.

 

 

The CCPA, led by Chief Commissioner Nidhi Khare and Commissioner Anupam Mishra, has issued an order against IITPK for violating the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

 

False representation of national-level toppers:

The institute’s advertisements prominently displayed terms like ‘IIT Topper’ and ‘NEET Topper’ alongside the numbers ‘1’ and ‘2’ before candidates’ names and images. This created a misleading impression that these students had achieved All India Rank in their respective exams. However, the institute intentionally omitted the fact that these individuals were only top performers within the institute itself, not nationally. 

 

Such misrepresentations could heavily influence prospective students, particularly those in classes 7 to 12 (ages 14-17), who may mistakenly believe that the institute consistently produces national-level top performers, thereby guiding them to make decisions under false pretences.

 

Deceptive IIT rank claims:

The institute stated, “1,384 IIT Ranks in the past 21 years by IITPK,” implying that 1,384 students coached by the institute had secured admission to the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). However, the advertisement did not clarify that not all 1,384 students gained entry to IITs. The use of ‘IIT Ranks’ led to the false impression that these students exclusively entered IITs, thus exaggerating the institute’s success rate.

 

The CCPA found that the list of students included those admitted to various institutions, such as IITs, IIITs, NITs, BITS, Manipal University, VIT Vellore, PICT Pune, MIT Pune, VIT Pune, and other universities, which misrepresented the scope of the institute’s achievements, the press release stated.

 

Inflated success rate claims:

The institute’s advertisements included bold claims like “highest success ratio year after year", “best success ratio for 21 years”, and “success ratio at 61 per cent”. These statements were made without providing supporting data or context, leading to the false belief that 61 per cent of the institute’s students gain admission to IITs. The institute failed to offer any comparative analysis or third-party verification to validate these assertions.

 

During the hearings, the institute stated that the term ‘success ratio’ was explained in detail during webinars and one-on-one counselling sessions. “However, the primary platform for these claims was the advertisements themselves, where no such clarification was provided. This strategy misleads potential students and parents by not presenting crucial information upfront,” the press statement said.

 

The CCPA determined that the institute intentionally withheld crucial information that could have assisted students in making an informed decision when selecting a course or coaching institute/platform. As a result, the CCPA found it essential to impose a penalty to protect impressionable students and to address misleading advertisements and unfair trade practices.